Big cuts coming to US military

[Onkel Neal]

...and why not? Wars in Iraq and A-Stan are over. Simply redirect funding to satellites and drones, who needs an army?

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2014/0...ize/?hpt=hp_t1

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

who needs an army?

We do in the UK so send some of those budget savings across the pond...a few spare Harriers would be appreciated too.

[STEED]

America can now pay off it debt mountain.

Nahhh, drink beer and eat ribs.

[Ducimus]

History is cyclical, and the wheel in the sky keeps on turning.


edit:

Originally Posted by STEED

America can now pay off it debt mountain.

Dollar will collapse before that happens. (Seriously, we are well and truly screwed. )

[Catfish]

And always think that the benefits of this decision (if it really comes forward) will be gained by the president after the next president.

On the other hand, there's Venezuela. But i don't think the CIA needs a whole army, for that. And the money will come from drug deals, of course.



Seriously, it is clear that the US cannot just go on spending such amounts for decades, but since they are used to play globally, the upkeep of the infrastructure will be hard to maintain.
A smaller, but excellent military with superior equipment will be better, but still costly..

[Mr Quatro]

Better the US Army than the US Navy ... perhaps they should consider joining the US Army back with the US Air Force like t was in the forties.

One things for sure the US Army is not going to go down without fighting ... pun

[Cybermat47]

I don't see the problem myself. The Cold War is over, the Iraq War is over, and you're about to pull out of Afghanistan. Why spend money on a military that has no war to fight?

[Dread Knot]

I hope nobody tries to refloat the farcical term "peace dividend" from the early nineties. If there was ever a single distribution from that one, it got swallowed up in an instant.

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by Cybermat47

I don't see the problem myself. The Cold War is over, the Iraq War is over, and you're about to pull out of Afghanistan. Why spend money on a military that has no war to fight?

But .. but .. the TERRORISTS ! They are EVERYWHERE, even in Jemen.
And if there are none left, we have to invent them.

[vanjast]

History is cyclical, and the wheel in the sky keeps on turning.

'Proud Mary keep on burning'..

Hitler rightly said.. "Armies are meant for war".
If there is no war.. you don't need an army, or at least a beeeeg one.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Originally Posted by Cybermat47

I don't see the problem myself. The Cold War is over, the Iraq War is over, and you're about to pull out of Afghanistan. Why spend money on a military that has no war to fight?

This can be the problem:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militar...strial_complex

[Wolferz]

There will be no belly aching, until they start closing bases here at home.

There will be great wailing and gnashing of teeth in congress then.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by vanjast

'Proud Mary keep on burning'..

Different group, different song.

[Catfish]

But was Proud M. a stern, or a side wheeler ?

I always tried to find that out ..

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Wolferz

There will be no belly aching, until they start closing bases here at home.

There will be great wailing and gnashing of teeth in congress then.

Yup.

In any event, I have a hunch that downsizing our military will have little to no effect on our national debt at this point.

EDIT:
I should probably say that I do feel many budget cuts are necessary, like big fancy stealth jets for example and similarly grotesquely bloated projects; even some personnel cuts, however cutting personnel too much, I think unwise.

EDIT 2:
If they really want to reduce the cost of the military, the politiicans in washington need to reduce our global foot print first. They should close bases overseas first before closing them at home. Seems to me, we did this song and dance under the Clinton administration.