FuzzyLumpkins
10-28-2016, 02:50 PM
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2016/1027/Why-Trump-says-the-state-of-US-military-is-a-disaster-video
WASHINGTON — It is a reliable applause line that Donald Trump delivers often.
The state of the military is a “disaster,” it is “depleted,” and as president he will “rebuild” it.
Put simply, Mr. Trump wants to add more troops and ships and planes.
But the United States already spends as much on its military as the next seven highest-spending countries combined. It has as many aircraft carriers (10) as the rest of the world combined (China has one). And Defense spending is up 22 percent over its Cold War peak in 1986.
What needs rebuilding?
The answer depends largely how prepared one thinks the country should be for the potential threats it faces.
Is the US ready to carry out the stability and counterterrorism operations that have defined American military deployments in recent years? Absolutely.
Is it ready to fight multiple traditional wars against major powers at the same time, as it was in the Cold War? That is less certain.
WASHINGTON — It is a reliable applause line that Donald Trump delivers often.
The state of the military is a “disaster,” it is “depleted,” and as president he will “rebuild” it.
Put simply, Mr. Trump wants to add more troops and ships and planes.
But the United States already spends as much on its military as the next seven highest-spending countries combined. It has as many aircraft carriers (10) as the rest of the world combined (China has one). And Defense spending is up 22 percent over its Cold War peak in 1986.
What needs rebuilding?
The answer depends largely how prepared one thinks the country should be for the potential threats it faces.
Is the US ready to carry out the stability and counterterrorism operations that have defined American military deployments in recent years? Absolutely.
Is it ready to fight multiple traditional wars against major powers at the same time, as it was in the Cold War? That is less certain.