Four U.S. Marines dismount their vehicles to provide unit security while fellow Marines call an exlosive ordinance disposal team to investigate a mock improvised explosive device during a convoy training exercise outside Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot in Hawthorne, Nev., March 7, 2009. The Marines are assigned to Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Nicole A. LaVine From New Wars:
The major impetus for weapon’s production in the US today is less for National Security concerns, but for politically and economic reasons. The result of this inconvenient fact is continued procurement of high performance jet fighters, large carrier fleets, their missile escorts, nuclear submarines, and specialized amphibious ships still in production, all of which would have fit well into the Cold War strategies of the last century.
Meanwhile, America’s principle military antagonists are poorly armed adversaries in Third World COIN operations which can hardly match our advanced and costly technology. Typical of this lesson in extreme overkill by our armed forces are $3/4 billion B-2 stealth bombers striking Al Qaeda caves in the Afghan, and $2 billion naval destroyers chasing pirate speedboats in the Gulf of Aden.
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My Comment: This is a good commentary. One that is worthwhile to read and analyze.
The most important part of any military is its people. In reference to the U.S., the majority of the military budget is dedicated to operations, maintenance, and taking care of the men and women who serve .... not procurement and R&D. A cut of 25% to 50% would only eviscerate the present levels of manpower to levels that only existed before the Second World War.
How this can make us safer and more able to fight the many conflicts in the world today is something that I have trouble understanding.