Trump: U.S.military spending could be cut in half- Now 8 percent a year

I suppose we have to define "massive" but hard to say that with Russia/Ukraine happening. Any war of conquest or occupation is going to have to involve ground troops. Hell, even counterinsurgency involves committing ground troops and subjecting them to a great deal of attrition (see Israel in Gaza, or us in Afghanistan). Very few military objectives can be met just by bombing. While our military is large, I dont think much of the spending has been directed to maintaining an overwhelming ground force. We have very much shifted to the JSOC / "Operator" model since the Rumsfeld days. We are good at doing Bin Laden raids, but our spending has not prepared us for any kind of big ground war. Plus COIN is a fools game.

 

Whatever happened to the antiwar left ?

They’re the War Pigs and the New McCarthyites.

 

I thought the days of massive boots on the ground was over to if only because families aren’t having five kids as they were during WWII.

Then Ukraine.

 

Very fair point.

 

I'd sure like to think that rational thought would govern actions, but alas - here we are. Once again.

 

It was the war to end all wars though, and since I havent read a book written after 1918 I can only assume it worked

 

Hence, the cynic in me …

 

The Pentagon has the largest big dollar contracts in the US budget. I imagine there are $ trillions of waste, fraud, and abuse in the Pentagon contracts. After the IRS, the Pentagon will be on DOGE list.

Health care, specifically Covid $ spent in the wild, wild spending days of 2021 and 2022, will likely yield at least another $ trillion in waste, fraud, and abuse.

The louder the dems squeal, the closer the Trump Administration/DOGE gets to the dems abuse of spending for their agenda. I'd be a bit worried if the dems just shut up, but with so much waste, fraud, and abuse committed by them won't allow them to shut up. The delay, delay, delay tactic will only carry the dems so far.

As the dem abuses are exposed to the light of day, the dem party as we know it today, a woketard, abusive, and evil party, will have to change. That's what moderate dem voters want which doesn't say much for the libs on this board. I can foresee these moderate dems being the next group welcomed into the republican party.

 

Fingers crossed. . . .

Although I'd prefer a full-blown Pentagon coup and some big-time purges, public executions, etc.

 

Nice satire.

 

China counts lifeboats as ships. The US has about 50% more ship tonnage than China.

 

What can't go on won't go on. Federal spending is out of control. Imagine how much money the US could have saved by being Russia's ally instead of enemy. Maybe we shouldn't have started that war in Ukraine? Maybe Obama/Kerry shouldn't have lied to Russia in 2014 when they said the US was okay with Luhansk and Donetsk becoming "federated states."

 

IDK

Military (mostly merit based system) vs. current useless Political System (based on how much corporate/doner ass you can kiss).

Kind of a no-brainer.

 

Yeah, but what about their new Forrestal Class carrier?

 

Or maybe Putin should have taken the win in 2014. West's protests at the time were basically symbolic, which means they tactically agreed that was probably the most logical outcome. I think most people were and would be fine with that. If Ukraine wants to tack to the west, this strategically and historically important region stays with the mother. That made sense, and was executed almost if not perfectly. Green men. . . all of it. . . genius.

And then 2022, and HUBRIS kicks in. Sorry, but that's the only explanation. Ukraine wasn't anywhere near getting into NATO and anyone with a brain knew that. The bleating of Victoria Neuland does not equate to national policy. Sadly, Vicky gave Putin his Cassis Belli so he could engage in this blatant and catastrophic act of HUBRIS. Which, no matter how you put it, has gone terribly for Russia in literally every way.

 

How are you going to cut military spending when you're talking about the possibility of sending troops to Gaza to help build the Trump Riviera?

 

Red line violation #1
February 16,2022 Ukraine started the artillery shelling of Russian-speakers in the Donbas

Red line violation #2
February 23, 2022. At the Munich Security Conference Kamala Harris states that Ukraine will join NATO

February 24, 2022. Russia enters Ukraine, exactly as the US hoped. The US thought that sanctions would destroy Putin and Russia. Instead, Russia's economy appears strong. Putin got 87% of the vote. Russia getting $14 Trillion of natural resources from Ukraine and huge amounts of rich agricultural land.

Anyone who opposed this nonsense was called a Putin puppet. Hundreds of thousands of deaths. Maybe the neocons/Democrats/RINO's aren't that bright

I'm December 2021 Russia listed 3 demands to avoid war:

 

Feb 20, 2022 vs. Feb 14, 2025.

Nuff said. GAME OVER!!!

There is no disputing that Russia is in an exponentially worse place today on every front, from geopolitics (NATO members now on your northern border) to economics (Sanctions, no more German cash cow) to demographics (already one of oldest populations on earth BEFORE the war). LOSE! LOSE! LOSE!

But keep crowing about your stupid red lines and keep beating your chest over taking 7 square miles at the cost of 1000 men.

 

I see no mention of Russia's annexation of the Crimea in your "simple facts." It seems like a relevant and critical data point in any discussion of who started what.