Maintaining American Military Might
Bolster military for democracy's sake?
Strong Military Deters Conflict
Republican president Ronald Reagan believed America could achieve “peace through strength,” warning that
“war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak.”
Four decades earlier, Democratic president Franklin Roosevelt said that America must be the “great arsenal of democracy,” with a military force
“so strong that by its very existence, it will keep the threat of war far away from our shores.”
Today, most Americans understand there is a growing danger in the world and, like Reagan and Roosevelt, believe in the importance of American military power. U.S. intelligence leaders have called out China atop the list of national security priorities amid a shift in priorities from Islamic terrorism to complex technological and cyber threats and homegrown extremism.
America is Not Adequately Prepared
America has long had the strongest military in the world. However, our lead is shrinking. Despite the United States spending three times as much as China on its military, China has more manpower, ships, and submarines. A recent simulation showed that Chinese hypersonic missiles could sink American aircraft carriers.
We also may not have enough ships to deter Russia and China and to patrol the Pacific and critical sea lanes, while the Army and other branches are missing their recruiting goals. America’s military spending as a share of our economy is less than half what it was 40 years ago.
A commonsense Solution
To face unprecedented but imminent threats, Washington must increase military investments and be ready to confront a two-front war. However, our government must not just blindly dump more money into the Pentagon—especially amid reports from early 2023 that military contractors have been overcharging and billions have been wasted on ineffective weapons systems. The F-35 combat aircraft stands as a costly and dysfunctional example. Plagued with shortages of parts and software, an F-35 requires up to three days of maintenance and repair after a mission–– hardly battle-ready.
While America needs to bolster security in a dangerous world, this must be done with greater efficiency, transparency, and zero corruption.
Can both parties find common ground on military issues?
Diplomacy should always be a first choice. But often to get a diplomatic solution a military force is often needed. Not just as a threat for war, but a force of peace. After all noone loves peace and is willing to work for peace as much as the military member. In the event of violent conflict war, police act, peace keeping act, or any other name we desire to call it, we must deploy a strong deceisive overwhelming force and end the conflict quickly. That we must discontinue the policies of limmited conflict warfare. The overwheling force will end a conflict quickly with cost of fewer lives. As history has shown in Korea, Vietnam, Afganistan...limmited conflict remains a conflict for a long period of time, cost a lot of money to maintain, is indecisive or in undesireable results for the USA. We need to learn from history deploy the overwhelming force and get the conflict over with. If war is needed this is the only moral and ethical way to fight it.
By ratified treaty under President Clinton we owe Ukraine to come to its need in defense. Also a temporary treaty under President Obama, not ratified, we again promised to come to the aid of Ukraine. In turn Ukraine gave up any nuclear wepons and limited the size of it military to be able to defend agenst Belarus, Moldova, not Russia or Russia with the help of China. Instead of allowing this to play out as a limmited conflict we need to provide Ukraine with what they need to have and overwhelming force and get this conflict decided for Ukraine. If this conflict eventually requires the deployment of US forces that we go in with III Corp and its needed units from other services plus be ready to increase to an Army size unit. To end the conflict for Ukraine. I do hope and pray it does not come to this
We need to support Israel with the help they need. At this point we do not know if Iran is directly involved or only indirectly involved, but we are playing this strange scrimage game with terorist units that are seeking to attack us and to support the larger terrorist groups like Hamas. We need to deploy joint Special Operations in Iran to find out if they are directly involved and deploy D Force units in the areas that these attacks are coming from in Recon roll and authorizze them to do what they need to do. If needed be ready to deploy Rangers, Marine Recon, Air Force Reccon and Calvary units. At this point ths will no longer be a secret recon and could be taken as an act of war so Corp and Army size units will need to be on Warning Orders and prepared to deploy. Once it is known what we are dealing with the large and overwhelming size force needs to be deployed. Again I do hope it does not come to this.
China needs to know if it persist with its intrest in Tiwan that they will face a large portion of the pacific Naval fleet, 2 divisions of marines, the 18th air borne corp, with supporting Air Force units, and not some limited force responce. Diplomaticly it may even be possible to get China to allow tibet to be self goverened and to be a responcible member of the world community. To clean up its illegal business practices ect...
North Korea needs to know that 8th Army will be brought to full strength on Korea, with a sizable Navy Fleet, and the needed Air Force support. That China and or Russia are not going to come to their aid
The World needs to know that we have the best most efficient Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. That when needed we will deploy them in peace. But if forced to conflicts they will be deployed as a large overwhelming force and we no longer play a limmited conflict game
In recent news we've learned that there is a porous northern border. Military operations should first be on American soil. Relocate military bases to the borders and lets' control them. This may allow for the closure or reduction of other Federal agency budgets to free up funds for the military weapons that are "needed". President Eisenhower once said that he couldn't give the Generals everything they wanted. He was the last truly fiscal conservative. Find ways to cut the size and costs of government, including the military.
We need to have an effective defense operation that is built for the new and emerging threats. That means a more effective intelligence apparatus. That means limiting our engage and exposure to areas and conflicts that are truly worth American lives and treasure. That means making decisions not on the needs of the defense contracting giants but on clear eyed and efficient leadership. Respecting American troops means an efficient VA, approving military promotions, and not just platitudes about honors troops.