downsizing US military

[Al B. Sure!]

Just look at the recent headlines from the past couple of months: Typhoon in the Philippines. America sends the Marines. US citizens need to be evacuated from South Sudan. America sends the Marines.

The Marine Corps does all the little things that will make up your ideal role of the American military going forward. We do it because we can do it faster than anybody else. We're always ready.

[Guynemer]

Thank you for illustrating my exact point.

[Al B. Sure!]

Thank you for illustrating my exact point.

That we don't need an Army but we need a Marine Corps?

[Guynemer]

Why the crikey **** are we sending the military across the goddamned globe for any goddamned reason whatsoever other than national defense?

[Al B. Sure!]

Why the crikey **** are we sending the military across the goddamned globe for any goddamned reason whatsoever other than national defense?

So you don't want us to help the victims of natural disasters in impoverished nations? You don't want us to evacuate US citizens from nations in turmoil? You don't want us supporting United Nations peacekeeping efforts?

[Guynemer]

To be perfectly frank, sending the military across the world to get Americans out of ****hole countries is not a cost-effective use of our tax dollars.

[Al B. Sure!]

To be perfectly frank, sending the military across the world to get Americans out of ****hole countries is not a cost-effective use of our tax dollars.

**** American citizens abroad, right, Guy? Let them be killed in the streets and the women raped. Then the American people will be wanting blood and we can have a real war.

[100% Wolf]

The sense of entitlement displayed by members of the military is breathtaking.

Let's cut military spending to 1.25% of GDP

[Patroklos]

The mitary can take some cuts along with everything. I am not motivated to provide those cuts if entitlements are not on the table with them. Compromise

It should be noted that the main point of Hagels pitch was personnel costs and how over time those have eaten more and more of the budgetary pie. I am inclined to agree with him as we toss bonus after pay raise after tax break with no break because how can you possibly be against the troops?! This follows reactionary useless program after program to social engineer whatever is vogue at the time. Then there is the uniforms....

And reg you will find no greater critic of the LCS than me but lacking armor is not a weakness, there is not a single modern surface combatant of note that has anything more than anti spall/fragmentation layering. Some flight decks are sometimes "armored" as in reinforced to contain crash damage, but that's not what you meant.

Also HC can you pull the SOF dick out of your mouth? For every SOF mission there are thousands of conventional forces providing support or directly participating alongside the operators. SOF has their role but pretending they are some majic bullet rather than just one of many tools limited to very specific and narrow subset of uses is as stubit as those who claimed nukes made all other forces obsolete or the Air Force claiming we could dispand the Navy. I also don't think you have an appreciation for the about of money SOCOM spends and how unaccountable they are for it.

[100% Wolf]

**** American citizens abroad, right, Guy? Let them be killed in the streets and the women raped. Then the American people will be wanting blood and we can have a real war.

Don't travel to countries that lack rule of law. You can't expect the US to stop people all over the world from murdering and raping people

[Al B. Sure!]

Don't travel to countries that lack rule of law. You can't expect the US to stop people all over the world from murdering and raping people

Yes because countries in turmoil were always in turmoil

All the Americans living in Egypt should never have been there even though the country was stable for decades.

Not to mention the families of embassy personnel. **** them, right?


And I want to hear what Guy has to say about humanitarian missions and UN peacekeeping missions and how the US has no legitimate reason to be involved in those.

[100% Wolf]

Yes because countries in turmoil were always in turmoil

All the Americans living in Egypt should never have been there even though the country was stable for decades.

Not to mention the families of embassy personnel. **** them, right?

What about the Swiss in places like Egypt? How will they be protected without a global Swiss empire?

[Guynemer]

And I want to hear what Guy has to say about humanitarian missions and UN peacekeeping missions and how the US has no legitimate reason to be involved in those.

WE ****ING DON'T.

We don't get to dictate to the world how to live. We have enough goddamned problems of our own.

Maybe if it was harder for us to go to war, we wouldn't be in PERPETUAL ****ING WAR.

[Patroklos]

Don't travel to countries that lack rule of law. You can't expect the US to stop people all over the world from murdering and raping people

This expectation does not come from the military but rather citizens who watch too many movies and politicians who know any death will be turned into the latest media frenzy by either the media or other politicians.

We do what the bosses want.

[Guynemer]

This expectation does not come from the military but rather citizens who watch too many movies and politicians who know any death will be turned into the latest media frenzy by either the media or other politicians.

We do what the bosses want.

I do not disagree with you.