Smashing the Defense Budget
This is a very important read on national defense and folks who are concerned about the monstrous defense budget.
http://www.financialsense.com/stormwatch/geo/pastanalysis/2008/1227...
Smashing the Defense Budget
by J. R. Nyquist
Weekly Column Published: 12.27.2008
The Center for Defense Information (CDI) has published a report titled “America’s Defense Meltdown: 13 non-partisan insiders, retired military officers & defense specialists speak out.” The report flatly states that America’s defenses are “outdated,” with “insufficient” lethality bought at high expense. In a chapter written by a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, we read: “The large standing forces were supposed to facilitate professional preparation for war, but the essential officer corps never truly professionalized itself.”
Regarding the projected national security strategy for 2009-2017, Col. Chet Richards (USAF, ret.) wrote: “Decisions by the last two Democratic and Republican administrations have … depleted our military strength … and strengthened those around the world whose goals conflict with ours.” He places the largest share of the blame on the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, where military forces were used to solve problems “that are inherently social, economic or political….”
In a chapter written by a Marine colonel and an Army major, we read: “Institutional failures pervade the current management of military men and women, by far our most important defense resource.” The authors write of “ingrained behaviors” related to risk aversion, “group think” and a preoccupation with “turf battles.” Contracts are said to matter more than winning wars. “The primary route to valuing people is to … nurture highly innovative, unshakably ethical thinkers. Sadly, in today’s armed forces such people … are known as mavericks.”
According to “America’s Defense Meltdown,” the U.S. Marine Corps espouses a doctrine of maneuver while organizing and training for a attrition warfare; there are too many officers and not enough “trigger pullers”; the U.S. Navy is still preparing to fight the Japanese carrier fleet when U.S. enemies no longer deploy carrier fleets; the U.S. must shift to submarines because “cruisers, destroyers and frigates are obsolescent warship types and should be retired”; the U.S. Air Force has not properly developed its close air support capabilities and air-to-air capabilities are presently underfunded.
The report warns that the Pentagon can no longer afford to approach military problems with a “wish list” that Congress simply fulfills. This manner of arms procurement is “outrageously expensive” and “impractical.” The present air mobility of the army simply costs too much. Strategic air and sea lift should be reduced because it is excessively expensive. Manned vehicles should be replaced with unmanned vehicles where possible. The National Guard should be reduced and kept at home. According to the report, “A fundamental source of the DOD’s problems is the historically long pattern of unrealistically high defense budget projections combined with equally unrealistic low estimates of costs of new programs.”
The report does not give pride of place to America’s nuclear arsenal, however. The authors seem to think that the threat from Russian and Chinese nuclear missiles isn’t worth mentioning. Furthermore, “conventional warfare between nuclear-armed nations” is essentially “impossible.” The “real threat,” says the report, comes from “fourth generation warfare and the New World Disorder.” In other words, terrorism initiated by dervishes hiding in caves. This is referred to in the report as “the demise of conventional war,” which goes beyond “the threat of nuclear weapons.” The new warfare, says the report, “is in many respects the end of the road because it may mark the end of the state system.” This is because nation states aren’t the primary war-makers. As the state loses its monopoly on violence, non-state actors take center stage.
At this point it is time to shake off the anarchist dust, look back to the achievements of the nation-state, and realize that somebody has been buying and packaging nonsense. The nation-state is the great actor, the nuclear-armed actor that levels entire cities and exterminates peoples. The state has the resources, the technology, the money, the manpower. No sect hiding in the mountains is going to equal Hitler’s Final Solution. The atom bomb wasn’t a private research project, and no privately funded organization has produced such a weapon.
Whatever you read about al Qaeda’s nukes, or terrorists with WMDs, you should read with skepticism. Nuclear weapons are built by nation states with permissive action codes imbedded in them. You cannot get anything out of stealing such weapons, or selling them off, because they won’t work without the codes that enable them to detonate. If a nuclear device is set off in the middle of the upcoming inauguration, it won’t be an act of Arab terrorism. Do not believe it. As a Russian military defector once said to me, it will not be Arab terrorists behind such an attack. It will be the Kremlin.
This is the thing that we’ve all got to understand. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you cannot be defeated in a hundred battles. But if you don’t know your enemy, you’re probably going to die. This is the nuclear age, and the weapon that promises to transform our world is nuclear. Everyone can see that an attack against America could come at any time. Washington might be eliminated tomorrow.
After reading “America’s Defense Meltdown” I am troubled that military men should emphasize the threat of non-state actors. Whatever the problems of the Middle East, America’s main enemies are nation-states like Russia and China. Only these are capable of crushing America. This is something al Qaeda cannot do. And so, when we talk about reforming the U.S. military and cutting defense spending, we need to be careful. We need to remember who can destroy us – not in theory, but in reality.
http://www.financialsense.com/stormwatch/geo/pastanalysis/2008/1227...
Smashing the Defense Budget
by J. R. Nyquist
Weekly Column Published: 12.27.2008
The Center for Defense Information (CDI) has published a report titled “America’s Defense Meltdown: 13 non-partisan insiders, retired military officers & defense specialists speak out.” The report flatly states that America’s defenses are “outdated,” with “insufficient” lethality bought at high expense. In a chapter written by a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, we read: “The large standing forces were supposed to facilitate professional preparation for war, but the essential officer corps never truly professionalized itself.”
Regarding the projected national security strategy for 2009-2017, Col. Chet Richards (USAF, ret.) wrote: “Decisions by the last two Democratic and Republican administrations have … depleted our military strength … and strengthened those around the world whose goals conflict with ours.” He places the largest share of the blame on the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, where military forces were used to solve problems “that are inherently social, economic or political….”
In a chapter written by a Marine colonel and an Army major, we read: “Institutional failures pervade the current management of military men and women, by far our most important defense resource.” The authors write of “ingrained behaviors” related to risk aversion, “group think” and a preoccupation with “turf battles.” Contracts are said to matter more than winning wars. “The primary route to valuing people is to … nurture highly innovative, unshakably ethical thinkers. Sadly, in today’s armed forces such people … are known as mavericks.”
According to “America’s Defense Meltdown,” the U.S. Marine Corps espouses a doctrine of maneuver while organizing and training for a attrition warfare; there are too many officers and not enough “trigger pullers”; the U.S. Navy is still preparing to fight the Japanese carrier fleet when U.S. enemies no longer deploy carrier fleets; the U.S. must shift to submarines because “cruisers, destroyers and frigates are obsolescent warship types and should be retired”; the U.S. Air Force has not properly developed its close air support capabilities and air-to-air capabilities are presently underfunded.
The report warns that the Pentagon can no longer afford to approach military problems with a “wish list” that Congress simply fulfills. This manner of arms procurement is “outrageously expensive” and “impractical.” The present air mobility of the army simply costs too much. Strategic air and sea lift should be reduced because it is excessively expensive. Manned vehicles should be replaced with unmanned vehicles where possible. The National Guard should be reduced and kept at home. According to the report, “A fundamental source of the DOD’s problems is the historically long pattern of unrealistically high defense budget projections combined with equally unrealistic low estimates of costs of new programs.”
The report does not give pride of place to America’s nuclear arsenal, however. The authors seem to think that the threat from Russian and Chinese nuclear missiles isn’t worth mentioning. Furthermore, “conventional warfare between nuclear-armed nations” is essentially “impossible.” The “real threat,” says the report, comes from “fourth generation warfare and the New World Disorder.” In other words, terrorism initiated by dervishes hiding in caves. This is referred to in the report as “the demise of conventional war,” which goes beyond “the threat of nuclear weapons.” The new warfare, says the report, “is in many respects the end of the road because it may mark the end of the state system.” This is because nation states aren’t the primary war-makers. As the state loses its monopoly on violence, non-state actors take center stage.
At this point it is time to shake off the anarchist dust, look back to the achievements of the nation-state, and realize that somebody has been buying and packaging nonsense. The nation-state is the great actor, the nuclear-armed actor that levels entire cities and exterminates peoples. The state has the resources, the technology, the money, the manpower. No sect hiding in the mountains is going to equal Hitler’s Final Solution. The atom bomb wasn’t a private research project, and no privately funded organization has produced such a weapon.
Whatever you read about al Qaeda’s nukes, or terrorists with WMDs, you should read with skepticism. Nuclear weapons are built by nation states with permissive action codes imbedded in them. You cannot get anything out of stealing such weapons, or selling them off, because they won’t work without the codes that enable them to detonate. If a nuclear device is set off in the middle of the upcoming inauguration, it won’t be an act of Arab terrorism. Do not believe it. As a Russian military defector once said to me, it will not be Arab terrorists behind such an attack. It will be the Kremlin.
This is the thing that we’ve all got to understand. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you cannot be defeated in a hundred battles. But if you don’t know your enemy, you’re probably going to die. This is the nuclear age, and the weapon that promises to transform our world is nuclear. Everyone can see that an attack against America could come at any time. Washington might be eliminated tomorrow.
After reading “America’s Defense Meltdown” I am troubled that military men should emphasize the threat of non-state actors. Whatever the problems of the Middle East, America’s main enemies are nation-states like Russia and China. Only these are capable of crushing America. This is something al Qaeda cannot do. And so, when we talk about reforming the U.S. military and cutting defense spending, we need to be careful. We need to remember who can destroy us – not in theory, but in reality.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Marlene H. Klim on -
Terrence,
You are the Constitution authority here. Is it not true that the only national expense authorized by it is DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY? If so, it shouldn't be 5%, 25%, or 50% of the budget. It should be pretty close to 100% of the budget as it is the ONLY authorized expense. I'll say short of the 100% as you have the president and vp salaries, and perhaps white house operational expense.
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Sexton on -
It pains me when I see or read disrespect for Patriotic Americans who are serving our nation in the military forces. There will always be those who do not see the need for a strong defense force. But to cut spending at a time when terrorist and other nations plan for the demise of America is not the correct answer. Having served 2 tours in Iraq, once in Bosnia and tours in Germany and South Korea, I have seen the need for a strong military. We must never let another Pearl Harbor nor 9/11 happen again. Our Intel and defense must be second to none. Osama and others like him are prime examples of why America must remain a free nation.
America is not perfect in all it does, but I'd rather live in America than any other nation in the world. If you don't like America, go live somewhere else.
Stephen
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Permalink Reply by Boudicca on
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For all you Ron Paul and Paulite bashers, Ron Paul is your friend and I've got an issue for you to sink your fangs into.
While SCOTUS upheld the 2nd amendment, liberal groups all over the country are now attempting to regulate/restrict the sale and ownership of ammo. What the hell good is a firearm without ammo?
Go visit:
http://ammunitionaccountability.org/Legislation.htm
I already sent Michael Brennan an e-mail and asked him to checkout the PA legislation. You need to activate your friends in states where their 2nd amendment rights are under attack.
OH, BTW, Ron Paul is the only Texas Congressman who has an A+ rating from the GOA. In fact, there are damn few A+ ratings out of a body of 435 pathetic wimps in both political parties. But Ron Paul ain't one of the wimps. He consistently gets the highest grades for defense of the 2nd amendment and he always has.
When it comes to the second amendment, Ron Paul is fierce and so are his supporters. That's why you hear so many references to the document the GOP wants to burn - the Constitution of the United States of America.
Checkout GOA ratings:
http://gunowners.org/110hrat.htm
Stop harassing the Paulites and go after the real enemy!!
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Permalink Reply by Jim Rock on -
now you cut and paste your cut and paste--how many places are you going to post this waste of 1s and zeros
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Permalink Reply by Boudicca on
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Jim,
Get used to being the losing party. Nobody in their right minds wants to associate with you hate mongers.
Meanwhile, the Paulites and I will defend your constitutional right to spew hate and venom, as well as your Constitutional right to bear arms.
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Permalink Reply by Terrence Abrams on -
To laugh off Ron Paul's lesser qualities, which Boudicca is too brainwashed to do, is hate and venom?
I guess she can't see the rest of the forum laughing our @$$es off at her, P Metcalf her boy, and Suzanne, her clone. Do these three ever get a clue?
Pass the popcorn Jim, Booty here will keep us laughing as we take the time to read the fine posts by Stephen and Michael and Larry.
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Permalink Reply by Jim Rock on
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save some popcorn for Tyler too---shes getting desperate lately , shes used all her cut and paste material for the month and trying to use wit----actually came to read and not post but just had to let ya know to save some refreshments
Im glad Im a good loser cause thes 2% points we lost by could really scar a party, think what the dems felt like in 80. Libertarians have nevr gotten a vote so I can see where the desperation comes from---kinda like a mule in a horse race, no matter the outcome its still an ass
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Permalink Reply by Marlene H. Klim on
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Guys,
Boudicca is so far off the wall, I no longer read her posts. IGNORE applies to her and probably to the others as well. Haven't really gotten into any discussions with the others. Ignore works.
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Permalink Reply by tyler sims on -
Boudicca,
uggh..please just stop it....you are doing more harm then good here.
hate mongers????
you know my ancestors helped found the party, also one was a president and one of the greatest generals in history and he himself hated war....so ironically rather than rushing in...why dont you get to know everyone, try out a little honey rather than vinegar ...its good practice in politics.
There is no doubt we need balance in our spending including military expenditures...everything in my mind has to be fine tooth comb reviewed given the economic piled driver coming our way.
If we crash economically so goes the last great hope of the world.....no military, no nothing after that but a very bad off world.
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Permalink Reply by Boudicca on
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Sorry Mr. Sims. They are hatemongers. I've had my life threatened on RtP. I've been called a "scun sucking socialist" and have been told "Go F.....yourself you commie bitch" and someone threatened me with "Breath you last". And a whole lot worse has been hurled at me and others who oppose neocon wars of empire, big intrusive government and GOP socialism.
I no longer vote Republican. I vote 3rd party. After participating in RtP, I sincerely doubt that the GOP will ever rise from the ashes.
Obama wins with a whopping 365 electoral votes, snags 9 red states and kicks McCain's butt by over 8.5 million votes, and all Republicans can seen to do is attack the Constitutional conservatives on this site?
The rotting soul of the GOP has been exposed,
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Permalink Reply by Terrence Abrams on
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Sims, you got it right, you see her for what she clearly is, a liar.
She never faces facts, and only whines and complains, constantly, by the worst things Ron Paul ever said, the same things many of his other supporters here are having a hard time swallowing.
The entire military budget, bases, equipement, EVERYTHING is less than 1/40th of the unearned entitlements and other socialist aspects of our government spending. She refuses to go to work on that, only harping against any use of our military, ever, bases, anything that was part of RP's plan to restore the economy, even though RP could have proposed several other ways to do it.
Even many military VA sites in Texas I did charity work for under much of RP's organizational work here in our state, have patients and ex-patients there, grateful for RP's work on their benefits, can't stomach the views Boudicca and RP push across the table onto them while telling them all the good that has been done for them.
We lost a presidential race, and the sky is falling. Time to scrap our military, and go to Boudicca's anti-semetic church.
And if we defend ourselves or our allies overseas in ANY way, we're all War Mongers, just like Dr. Paul said about all of us Evil Empire nasties.
The only rotting soul exposed in our party, is the drop-dead give-up artists like Boudicca here, who openly admits she's not a republican and won't ever be again, and who constantly promotes propaganda and lies here.
I've checked many of her articles, in claiming to be a Ron Paul Conservative (whom if you don't believe in RP's insane foriegn policy measures, you're not a conservative according to Boudy), she has posted serveral conservative articles, MANY LIBERAL ARTICLES, and many articles written by sources sympathetic ot Muslim Jihadists, that even peaceful USA Muslim citizens have rebuked here on this website.
Boudicca makes her own case for being banned, permanently from this site.
And she'll never stop this nonsense Tyler, she, her sonny-boy Paul Metcalf and a very few other idol worshippers, not true conservative or GOP supporters.
This 'smart person' also refuses to acknowledge, as thoroughly as Obama did win he barely exceeded the popular vote totals Bush beat Kerry by, or that McCain actually won quite a bit more real estate than did Obama, Obama had the key electoral positions to take more states, but the overall popular vote was not that much of any sort of landslide in any way. Far less than Reagan's reelection victory.
She has these facts easily at hand, but always, ALWAYS chosen to toss spin at us and mis-direction. If you don't vote and support EVERYTHING RON PAUL, this little chirp of a liar keeps posting lies.
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