Your turn America

[Catfish]

I think 450 billion dollars for the military in one year is not exactly "lean" ?
How much was it before, or are those only the "defence" costs not including offensive .. err .. hardware ?
600 billion for anti terror, additionally. National Defense [sic!] Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...scal_Year_2012
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=48574
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain...-act-now-what/

This building of US interrogation campps all over the world basically undermines international law, it seems no one has even noticed that yet. And even without that i feel it is a serious blow against freedom in the US itself.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

I noticed this nice comparison of military forces from BBC page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16428133 (I know its a bit simplified).

Some highlights:
UK $63.7bn, 174,000 personnel
Russia $52.7bn, 956,000 personnel
I know that Russia has conscription, lower material costs (fuel, food etc.) and so on but still that comparison doesn't make sense.

USA $739.3bn, 1,569,000 personnel
China $89.9bn, 2,285,000 personnel
I agree with small print (below comparison table) that China's official military budget figure is nonsense. It can't be that low.

[soopaman2]

Originally Posted by kraznyi_oktjabr

I noticed this nice comparison of military forces from BBC page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16428133 (I know its a bit simplified).

Some highlights:
UK $63.7bn, 174,000 personnel
Russia $52.7bn, 956,000 personnel
I know that Russia has conscription, lower material costs (fuel, food etc.) and so on but still that comparison doesn't make sense.

USA $739.3bn, 1,569,000 personnel
China $89.9bn, 2,285,000 personnel
I agree with small print (below comparison table) that China's official military budget figure is nonsense. It can't be that low.

But for the USA to cut back, would force Europe to step up. As of now Europe cannot afford to step up.

Costs not included in that figure is the USAs UN funding, which we provide a lions share of the funding and ground troops for.

In all fairness Europe has not paid its fair share since 1945. Your cities are not bombed out anymore. and alot of your countries are doing better than us.

Some help?

Not being mean, or "arrogant American man", just saying from a rational standpoint.

(pardon my bluntness)

.
Yes China will always lie. Sun Tzu always did preach deception, it was a running topic in his Art of War.

[Ducimus]

Well, we kinda sorta anointed ourselves as the Worlds Policeman. The reasons of which im not sure, but probably have their roots in the Cold War. At any rate, we've been kind of lingering here as the Worlds Policeman. Times change, people change, maybe that will change too.

edit: Personally id welcome it if we were to long longer be "The Worlds Policeman". I didn't always enjoy being in some 2nd or 3rd world hell hole, presumably for the benefit of some people that i could give less then a (bleep) about.

edit: and I don't mean the American people. In the end, nothing i did mattered where the US people are concerned.

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by soopaman2

But for the USA to cut back, would force Europe to step up. As of now Europe cannot afford to step up.

Step up to what? Nobody, not even the Red Menace has the cash to start or support a major conflict.

[Kongo Otto]

Originally Posted by soopaman2

But for the USA to cut back, would force Europe to step up. As of now Europe cannot afford to step up.

The question is what do you mean exactly with "step up"? The times of big Tank and Infantry Armies are over, todays asymetrical warfare needs highly mobile special forces. Then the question arise for what purpose should those European Nations step up their military?

Originally Posted by soopaman2

In all fairness Europe has not paid its fair share since 1945. Your cities are not bombed out anymore. and alot of your countries are doing better than us.

Oh realy? may i remind you about the British Army and the Greeks who fought with the US together in Korea? And how about Desert Strom and Afgahnistan? Ah i forgot you fight your wars always alone.
I found it rather funny, that the Americans who told us Germans that we Germans are such bad militarists for the last 75 years, are now demanding a step up. Why should we? we dont have a Problem with the Iranians, not to mention what the reasons for you Iranian Problem are. Does it realy make you wonder that these people hate you, after you financed one of the most sinister villains (aka Mohammad Reza Pahlavi) down there for decades. It had a reasons why Khomeini came back to Iran back in 1979.

Originally Posted by soopaman2

Yes China will always lie. Sun Tzu always did preach deception, it was a running topic in his Art of War.

Show me a politician whos not lying and i show you an idiot.

[nikimcbee]

Okay, if we're cutting the military, let's start with all the bases in the blue states.

[magicstix]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Okay, if we're cutting the military, let's start with all the bases in the blue states.

Meh don't worry. It's not the first time our military has been cut. We did it before WW2 and back in the mid 90s up until 2001. Everything turned out great then right?

...I just hope I survive these cuts; at least the money will go to welfare that I can be on instead, right?

[Morts]

Originally Posted by magicstix

Meh don't worry. It's not the first time our military has been cut. We did it before WW2 and back in the mid 90s up until 2001. Everything turned out great then right?

...I just hope I survive these cuts; at least the money will go to welfare that I can be on instead, right?

Yeah, WW2 happened because the US didnt have a big enough army, and so did 9/11.....right

[nikimcbee]

Sadly they are not going to cut overall spending. They are just going to spend it someplace else. Sure, the military is bloated, but nobody wants their sacred cow cut.