posted on October 18, 2001 02:43:56 PM new
I seem to remember about a year ago word out on the street was that a particular president essentially watered down our military to the point of ineffectiveness.
How come no military or defense department official has got on TV and said, "Gosh, we should defend ourselves but you know how we were saying that our military was neutered? Well it's true so we just can't. Sorry".
No, word is that we can do what it takes. That we're prepared, ready etc. None of them seem to remember that the official line was supposed to be that the army was underfunded and not up to par.
posted on October 18, 2001 02:58:22 PM new
Are you forgetting all the reserves called up to take the place of "regular" service people? The military was indeed downsized. I know, I own rentals adjacent to a military base and until 6 years ago, we were full and had a waiting list. Then the downsizing started. At one point, all of our 4plex units only had one tenant. This was 100% due to downsizing.
So, now we have a crisis, and need more military people, so the reservists and the N.G. have been called in to replace those downsized.
posted on October 18, 2001 04:16:00 PM new
Jamesoblivion,
I can tell you first hand, our military does not have all that it should, to defend this country.
My RL business is closely tied to defense and I can tell you business for me and the industry in general, has been steadily declining for the past 8 years.
Aerospace companies and related businesses have been closing at an alarming rate during this time.
Speaking with military pilots in my neighborhood, they have told me they can't get their flight time in because their planes are always in for one repair or another. Many of the planes are obsolete and have been for quite some time.
What caused this? The cuts to the defense budget. That is one area our government should NEVER skimp on, even in peace time.
But, our politicians never thought we would be facing what we are today and kept cutting away.
posted on October 18, 2001 04:43:20 PM new
They didn't lie then but they're lying now...unless you count all the reservists being called up and the people being pulled from other missions to cover this one.
Now would be a good time for, say, Iraq or China to pull something...
posted on October 18, 2001 04:50:25 PM new
There's a wealth of factual information on this site about military spending, and the mergers of military supply giants:
posted on October 18, 2001 04:56:53 PM new
That's what reserves are for, and a downsized military doesn't mean a hurting one--the entire philosophy was changed in accordance with the need to tailor fast deployment forces which can respond to needs effectively and in short order. It meant no more loafing lifers hanging around barracks in their underwear and drinking their service time to retirement away all over the country, and it meant concentrating forces at ports and other places from which they could readily disembark if required.
Many of the changes were implimented at the behest of the military planners in response to the extraordinary amount of time it took to buildup in Saudi Arabia. They wanted to restructure and create a leaner meaner fighting machine.
A vacancy rate in a community is no evidence of military weakness. It simply means that they've moved away. For example, the San Francisco bay area naval presence is now in Bremerton, WA or San Diego--still afloat, just not in our bathtub.
posted on October 18, 2001 09:48:09 PM new
It is funny how we forget about the cuts that Rumsfeld and Bush were going for. Sept 11
sure changed things. Sorry about the links not being clickable. Rumsfeld was pushing for deep cuts in all branches in personnel to pay for the high-tech weapons. In Feb. of this year Bush was calling for a change in deployment of troops overseas. Called on Europe and Asia to police themselves. Wanted to reduce our involvement in the Mid-East. The great thing about this country is when the need does arise, policies can and do change to meet the need.
http://www.maebrussell.com/Rumsfeld%20Aides%20Seek%20Cuts%20In%20Armed%20Forces.html
http://www.uniontrib.com/news/military/20010809-9999_1n9military.html
