Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

DEEP CUTS TO DEFENSE THREATEN OUR MILITARY CAPABILITIES

The sharp cuts in the U.S. defense budget proposed by the Obama administration last month, along with the cuts required by the "sequester" agreement in the 2011 Budget Control Act, raise serious concerns about our future ability to defend U.S. territory and interests.

The Washington Free Beacon reports that President Obama plans "to abolish two highly successful missile programs that experts say have helped the U.S. Navy maintain military superiority for the past several decades" - namely the Tomahawk and Hellfire systems.

The Free Beacon also reported on remarks from Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno before the House Armed Services Committee. Gen. Odierno said that the defense budget cuts caused by the sequester would leave the Army unable to execute the President's defense strategy of winning one major war while deterring an aggressor in a second conflict. In fact, the general said, "I doubt that we could even execute one prolonged, multi-phase operation that is extended over a period of time."

In an op-ed this week, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton - who will speak at the RJC Spring Leadership Meeting this weekend - argues that the threats facing our country require our investment in more defense spending, not less. He concludes:

If the United States is not prepared to invest in its protection, the nation should face up to the reality of being a declining power. Obama has started us along this road, but the American people do not really want to follow his lead-and that is what elections are all about.

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

I know this is a different time but a Nation could not have been more ill prepared for war than the United States was before WW2. When war came it did not take us a "pre longed' time to get the Nation up to speed and win the war. Makes no sense to spend so much on the military. You can always find some General that will say they do not have enough. - Dave

Black Bart Loc: Indiana

Perhaps we would not have had WWII if we had not been so weak.

papayanirvana Loc: Kauai

Perhaps we would not have had the Gulf War if we had not been so gullible.

Black Bart Loc: Indiana

Just can't stay on topic can you.
But I understand you can't pass up a chance to trash Bush.

Now can we get back on topic about cuts to our military

papayanirvana Loc: Kauai

and the topic is... a war we fought 70 years ago? That was a different America, a different world.

I didn't mention Bush... I was pointing out that the nature of warfare has changed since then. WWII was a different narrative then we have today.

Why do we have to spend 13x more than anyone else on defense, and more than everyone on the planet combined?... a country that has never been attacked or invaded in it's entire history... seems a little paranoia.

And the same people that would even build it more, gripe about feeding poor Americans. :roll:

It's funny when you accuse someone of something you just did :mrgreen:

Black Bart Loc: Indiana

A country that has never been attacked ?? What the hell do you call pear harbor or 911

papayanirvana Loc: Kauai

Pearl Harbor was an attack on our navy base on far-flung (2500 miles away) territory, not part of the United States until 1959. You really need to stop using those WWII references...I know it was the BIG one. [and BTW, WWII started without us]

I'm glad you brought up 911... with reference to the topic, how many dollar$ spent on the military would have stopped that act of terrorism? Unless you are proposing a military junta or greatly expanding the NSA and severely restricting our personal freedoms, small-scale terrorist attacks like 911 and Oklahoma cannot be totally prevented.

http://static.fjcdn.com/comments/lol+did+i+just+write+pear+harbour+_e701b58767247caea693cc9b81c0a4de.jpg

sarge69 Loc: Ft Myers, FL

We would not have any war or threat of war or terrorists if we stood together as Americans and answered each threat or action with a powerful reaction instead of saying " you should not do that ."

F(&=k being the nice guy because I have been seeing nice guys loose their ass.

Sarge69

Black Bart Loc: Indiana

Thanks for setting me straight I thought pear was an attack on the USA but you say no just on the navy :roll:

papayanirvana Loc: Kauai

good dodge :mrgreen:

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

In addition, during WWII, Japanese forces attacked the U.S.A. in Alaska. And yes, there was that little incident at Pearl Harbor!

papayanirvana Loc: Kauai

I guess there were actual Japanese boots on US soil in the Aleutians...I'll bet many Americans never even knew about it...

but the weakness and age of your examples proves my point. for counterpoint, my Mom was born in Riga, founded in 1200 AD. Latvia, because of it's location and only warm water port has been occupied multiple times, by Teutonics, Russians, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks, Poland and Lithuania...and the Soviets just left in 1991.

It is interesting you just took the second half of my paragraph without addressing the question I asked. Seriously, I do not understand your viewpoint:

Ok, I admitted I exaggerated a little...but why do we have to spend so much on defense when every war since the civil war was fought far far from home?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/aac1b0db2e4ebbdfa2e7e0806ceb15ec.pngwould it really hurt us if we only spent $500bn a year?
We have a unique situation in that we are allied with virtually everyone in North/Central and South America

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

That was not possible. This country was fairly evenly divided between the British and the Germans. Keep in mind that Germans were the second largest block of immigrants in this country then. Cowards went out of their way to placate Adolph Hitler. Did you ever hear of the infamous "Peace in our time"? Incompetent idiots thought they were going to make nice with a monster. Sounds like what we have today, Mr. Incompetent is making nice all over the world. His luster has disappeared and the Europeans now see him for what he is not. They have no use for him either. Putin snickers at him, and the rest of the leaders just shudder and wonder what must have been on the minds of the Americans.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

The United States, in 2011 spent $682 Billion on Defense spending. The same year, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia, India, Germany, Italy and Brazil spent $652 billion combined.

How much more do we need for the nation's defense?