Does the U.S. even need to be a military power any more?

[politruk]

It seems to me that there are no countries left that really need American military protection -- even South Korea and Taiwan can take care of themselves. Why, decades after the Cold War ended, do we still need to spend as much on defense as the next 10 or 11 biggest-spending nations combined? Why do we need a global network of 800 military bases? Why does this republic need an empire?

[tblue37]

1. It's a jobs and training program.

[KPN]

6. I'd rather my taxes go to making higher education

affordable to anyone who wants to pursue a job training program. I’d also prefer restoring the draft or requiring a year or two of national service from everyone instead of an all “volunteer” or “contractor-provided” military.

[True Blue American]

2. No!

[uponit7771]

3. Currently it's red state welfare and that's about it

[Hoyt]

4. As long as we keep raping and bullying the world, touting America First, etc., probably.

And as pointed out above, some of our best paying jobs and a big chunk of GNP are based upon the military. Not saying it should be, just that it's a fact.

Fortunately, I think military power is quickly turning from bombs, boots on the ground, ships, and the like.

[politruk]

13. And towards what?

Cyberwarfare?

[Baked Potato]

5. There is a balance of power worldwide. That balance is fragile and must be protected.

The USA certainly does need to remain a military power.

[Amishman]

16. yes, i shudder to think what some of the worst tyrants in the world would do without that check

That being said, I do think we are far too quick to wield that power.

[Johnny2X2X]

7. Yes and no

Military power means something different now that it did 25 years ago. We need to be the best equipped for Cyber Warfare and many other types of non conventional war. There is a diminishing need for conventional hardware, but I think we should still maintain a strong one.

The US has the "illusion" of military power to some extent. In America, everything is measured by dollars, so we look and see that the US spends more money than the next 12 countries combined. And that gives us the illusion that we are as strong as the next 12 countries combined. Well the facts are that we waste an incredible amount of money on obsolete and useless weapons programs that amount to little more than cool toys and a government jobs program. But a couple countries who spent their money smartly, kept corruption down, and really wanted to could build up for a mere 10 years and be able to defeat the US military. All of our weapons systems have weaknesses. The answer to our navy isn't to try to match our number and power of ships, but to build smart torpedo our ships couldn't stop and then build 5,000 of them. The answer to our tanks isn't tanks, but a way to figure out how to make tanks obsolete, guerilla warfare in cities renders tanks too coarse of a weapon. etc etc.

[dsp3000]

8. absolutely. your alternative? Russia and China steps in and have their way.

USA isn't perfect but i'll take it over those powers any day.

[WarGamer]

9. We need a "deterrent only" force.

I see ZERO support from the American people for risking ONE US life in defense of an ally.

For example, investment in next-gen fighter aircraft was stupid. The REAL next-gen fighter aircraft is UAV.

[Mosby]

14. Not all Americans are isolationists.

If a modern day Hitler emerged from the East, and threatened Europe, pretty sure we would help them.

[WarGamer]

15. Just no need for the 101st Airborne to fight on the European Continent ala 1945.

IF (a giant IF) Russia rolled into Europe... BTW, they won't, they're more than happy selling energy to Europe.

But IF they did... the French, Germans, Italians and Portuguese would fight them.

We could supply munitions and supplies but why send troops?

And this is coming from someone who's made a lifetime passion out of the history of military action.

We won't ever see anything more than a regional conflict in the future.

[hack89]

10. It would result in a lot more nuclear armed countries

that is the deal to SK, Japan, Germany and other allies - we will fight with you and in turn you don't acquire nuclear weapons.

It's up to you to decide which is worse for the world - the US as a military global superpower or a balkanized word full of nuclear weapons.

[ShazamIam]

11. The U.S. military hasbeen primarly a trade protection racket for those multinationalo but U.S. based

corporations who have been refusing to pay the cost for the protection and instead have received three tax cuts and allowed to suppress wages and pollute everything.

[stillcool]

12. I think of the Defense Department as a big black hole...

the amount of real estate alone is mind-boggling. All those separate agencies, with substantial work forces doing who knows what. Hard to imagine anyone could know what's going on in each department. I used to spend a lot of time here:
https://thirdworldtraveler.com/
but I get bogged down in minutiae and it gets to be too much. Highly depressing

"The war against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed classes think they are going to profit from it."
George Orwell

"I spent thirty-three years in the Marines, most of my time being a hlgh class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism.
I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1910-1912. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City [Bank] boys to collect revenue in. I helped in the rape of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street.
In China in 1927 l helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
I had a swell racket. l was rewarded with honors, medals, promotions. l might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate a racket in three city districts. The Marines operated on three continents."
General Smedley Butler, former US Marine Corps Commandant, 1935