Payin' Off da Bad Guys is Time hOnOred Tradition. gOOd wOrk DrOne Hit Man, gOOd wOrk.

6 mOnths reprieve till da next 6 mOnths, din da next and next and next.

Will Da 85 yo kOrean War Vet still be in NK afta All Dat Time?

Will Da NeO Middlin' Class get ta see any of DEM BilliOns?

Will dat PeacePrize yOu gOts Be a shinin' Again?

' '

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

At Least BOMBS and Coffee has Improved since 1943.


fO shO fO evA

'Quack' Corn Corn Corn

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Getting Rid of Da A 10? Man 'O Live. Dat Be A Crowd Control mO FOin' Bad Boy.

Who Dey Gunna sell DEM to? Iran. Syria. Egypt. Russia. Iraq. Venezuela. Mexico.

????? Or Hold DEM fO da Dey, We The People Decide tO...yOu knOw. dO Dat UKrainie Egypty Thang.

' '

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Go right ahead. A retreating US would be the perfect impulse for Europe to do something more with its Common Security and Defense Policy.

As for the mass murdering right/leftwing ideologies, they are all dead or reduced to insignificance for the time being.

As for the mass murdering right/leftwing ideologies, they are all dead or reduced to insignificance for the time being.

Yes... for the time being. But not forever.

Maybe. A big number of scholars have suggested that the age of ideologies is dead. I tend to agree, everything these days has been economized. But you are right, perhaps that will result in the rise of left and rightwing ideologies again. Though ideologies are not a problem, its only problematic when they start promoting mass murder. But such extremes are usually only found in cases of complete state failure.

On top of that, it seriously remains to be seen if such states pose a real threat in the post modern warfare age. It is more likely that they turn their aggression inwards, against their own people and at worst sponsor terrorism. In neither case do they require a 700 billion defense budget (well I think its 600 billion now due to the sequester).

Oh really. Exactly what stops Criminal States from committing horrendous acts against their own people's and neighbors? Unless one believes Human Nature has evolved.

The ONLY Force they were afraid of, is going home.

*Sigh* Under international law you can't interfere if a country murders its own citizens. You know, state sovereignty. Even if you were to interfere, you would still need the approval of the UN security council. Without that, any military intervention is ILLEGAL. And as we can see in the case of Syria, you don't always get that approval of the UN security council, and there is absolutely nothing that is stopping Assad from killing thousands of people.

Aside from that, the US has always ignored a lot of those conflicts for various reasons. The US would have ignored Syria too if they hadn't used chemical weapons. That is the only reason the US got geared up to bomb the place. But Darfur? Rwanda? Yeah, nothing of US interest happened there so they were ignored and the locals could go on and murdering each other on an enormous scale. US military power has no deterring power when it comes to stopping bad regimes from murdering their own citizens.

On top of that there is the US who is responsible for a good number of large scale butcherings themselves. Iraq, Vietnam, the fact that half of the dictatorial regimes that wipe their ass with human rights are getting tons of economic and military support from the US (where did you think Saddam got his gas from?).

The US isn't a global police force and it never was nor did it ever act that way. And as a result, if the US retreats, the world will not become more anarchic than it already is.

The US spends more on its Military than the next 12 Countries combined!

And you're also 17½ trillion dollars in debt!

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

The sad part, as History has shown: The World outside the Contracted Empire get worse.

Heaven forfend!
At least i can cross the road where i like, walk into a doctor's or hospital and receive treatment without insurance, write down the date in a way that the rest of the world understands, play rugby without wearing 19 layers of padding, drink alcohol in the park...
Not sure we need a massive military for all that!

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

Perhaps you are correct. I'll forget about the 11 Carrier Battle Groups (no one else has 1 Carrier BATTLE GROUP). 3 Heavy Bombers B1, B2, B52 (no one else has 1). Heavy Lift Transports. HUGE Naval, Air Force, and Army Bases around the World.

The above is not braggadocio, just math. We are going home, and the rest of the Western World will not be able to afford its replacement. The US spends more on its Military than the next 12 Countries combined!

You REALLY believe ANYTHING has changed since 5000BC? That all the Mass Butchery & Enslavements of History will not repeat itself?

The World has lived in an American Constructed World (good and bad) since 1945, and believes it is normal/natural.

How sad.

Oh, by the way: International Law ONLY works, in the end, by Force of Arms.

Having a large army works as a great deterrent against other countries wanting to wage a conventional war against the US. And thats it. Those 11 carrier battle groups do not magically prevent dictators from murdering their own people, nor do they prevent one clan from murdering the other clan.

So what are they for then, those 11 carrier battle groups. Force projection and little else. You can get more with a kind word and a gun then you can with a kind word alone. What better way to say that you are serious and interested in a specific region's developments then parking a carrier battle group next to it? Thats what carrier battle groups are for, not peacekeeping.

Also, we must remember that we live in a time where most of the American army is pretty much obsolete. Those heavy bombers? Worthless, cost a lot to maintain but otherwise absolutely worthless. Abram tanks? Worthless. Well, always useful to keep some around, but you could easily scrap half of them. F22 Raptor? Waste of money. Warfare is no longer between massive nation state armies that fight each other on a clearly defined battlefield. Its about information and terrorism and the US army is not equipped to deal with that last part. Tanks do not stop someone from strapping a bomb on their body and blowing themselves up in the middle of a busy market place. Heavy bombers can't be used to search and destroy taliban caves. And there aren't any enemy jet fighters for the F22 to engage. For all that firepower the US has, it has so far failed to locate and root out a bunch of illiterate goat herders with AK-47's and bombs made from stuff you can buy in a supermarket.

And that is also why we no longer have to really worry about some state turning into another fascist dictatorship and attacking Europe with conventional armies. Its way to expensive. Even with the army the US currently has, it would be impossible for them to invade Europe and occupy every European nation without bankrupting itself within a month. The worst they can do is drop nukes on us. But no army is capable of stopping nukes. And everyone knows that nukes are a diplomatic tool, not an actual military weapon. Those that see it otherwise doom themselves to a quick demise once they press that red button. But, no stopping in them, no matter how much we would like that.

And finally, yes I do believe that humanity has advanced beyond the simple cavemen aggression mentality. Perhaps some regions will regress, or are not there yet, but it is already abundantly clear that US military power never prevented that to happen anyways.

The sad part, as History has shown: The World outside the Contracted Empire get worse.

Heaven forfend!
At least i can cross the road where i like, walk into a doctor's or hospital and receive treatment without insurance, write down the date in a way that the rest of the world understands, play rugby without wearing 19 layers of padding, drink alcohol in the park...
Not sure we need a massive military for all that!

It's like an adolescent living in Daddy's House saying:

'I have a Ipod23, and...'

And Daddy replies: 'Well son, ALL My Money goes to keeping a roof over YOUR head. Keeping food on YOUR table. Paying for the Police to Protect You. You see Son, YOU don't have to pay for that, because I do. However, soon you will have to grow up, and provide for yourself.'

Hopefully, The World WILL Grow Up.


How sad.

Except in Europe's case, we pay for all that ourselves. We have our own armies you know. And given the fact that there currently is no threat which requires a 700 billion budget military I don't see how the US retreating will affect us negatively. Unless you honestly believe that fascists magically take over a whole bunch of countries the moment you guys pull out of Europe.

All American bravdo aside. I think the reason we are going to downsize is ECONOMIC.
My little voice is saying that it needs to be done now because we are going broke.
The Army is downsizeing. i read that the USAF is getting a advanced fighter aircraft cancelled( I assusme its the F-22)
Im sure the navy will take a hit also. I will take a guess it will be two carrier groups. Then maybe a few more.
Ive said it before on here we cant afford to be the worlds policeman.
Unlike others who have posted here. I dont believe NATO is toothless. Nor the countrys of Europe who do maintain standing armys, navys and air forces.

I think the rooster is coming home to roost. You in Europe might have to defend us. Because we will be bankrupt just as the USSR was.

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[/quote]

Old James

Thank You World(All Except USA) fO having The Biggest, Best, and Most Bombs. I knOw yOu are Ready To Act!

' '

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

All American bravdo aside. I think the reason we are going to downsize is ECONOMIC.
My little voice is saying that it needs to be done now because we are going broke.
The Army is downsizeing. i read that the USAF is getting a advanced fighter aircraft cancelled( I assusme its the F-22)
Im sure the navy will take a hit also. I will take a guess it will be two carrier groups. Then maybe a few more.
Ive said it before on here we cant afford to be the worlds policeman.
Unlike others who have posted here. I dont believe NATO is toothless. Nor the countrys of Europe who do maintain standing armys, navys and air forces.

I think the rooster is coming home to roost. You in Europe might have to defend us. Because we will be bankrupt just as the USSR was.

I doubt its the F22, given that those things are already bought, build and operational. They did downsize the initial order though.

Anyways, I think the West, both Europe and the USA need to rethink their military doctrines. Obviously there is always a need for a standing army of some size, but the reality is that a lot of what is part of our standing armies today is obsolete. Heavy bombers, tanks, etc. Just look at what the past 50 years of warfare have been about. Just trained armies fighting for the most part against rebel militias and terrorists. We need to step away from the Clausewitzian style of warfare and come up with better ways to stop guerrilla style enemies.

@Clyde, you'll be pleased to know then that Europe is currently developing its own heavy air transport plane (beside the few that we already have, mostly C-17's and I think a few of those old Russian super heavy lifters). We got navies that are just as capable as the US of keeping the seas clear and France and Britain are currently forming a carrier battle group together. So yeah, I think we will manage just fine. Oh, and we could have taken Libya on on our own easily. You guys were just there first, it would have taken us a few extra days before we could start bombing.

But that aside, even when the US is 'retreating' it doesn't mean they are just gonna sit all at home and do nothing. It just means that the US won't get involved in every other countries business all of the time. But the US still relies on trade so its in their own interest to keep certain sea lanes clear. Isolationism in the most literal sense of the word doesn't work.

i read that the USAF is getting a advanced fighter aircraft cancelled( I assusme its the F-22)

It's actually the A-10. It is deemed too limited in it's scope of what it can do in missions and our military wants a more agile force that can handle nearly any situation. They intend to have the F-35 replace it as soon as it's ready.

It's actually the A-10. It is deemed too limited in it's scope of what it can do in missions and our military wants a more agile force that can handle nearly any situation. They intend to have the F-35 replace it as soon as it's ready.

Replacing the A10 with an F35 is like replacing a pile-driver with a sledgehammer!

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

It's actually the A-10. It is deemed too limited in it's scope of what it can do in missions and our military wants a more agile force that can handle nearly any situation. They intend to have the F-35 replace it as soon as it's ready.

Replacing the A10 with an F35 is like replacing a pile-driver with a sledgehammer!

People who love the A-10 don't understand how guided munitions have completely changed modern close air support. Many of the US close support missions in Afghanistan and Iraq recently have been flown by the B-1. No need to get down and dirty with the troops anymore. The troops aim a laser beam, and the little red spot gets hit by a bomb launched from an airplane miles away.

What the modern battlefield does need is a bomb carrier that can survive in the type of air defence systems the Russians and Chinese are selling to anyone with the cash. That is not an A-10. That is part of the reason A-10s played a very small role over Libya.

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Nothing has changed since the dawn of Human Civilization.

Don't be silly. We have digital watches now.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

Western Europe building a few weapon’s means very little, if not accompanied by a VAST Worldwide Military Infrastructure. That was the REAL Power of the USA. Where is Europe building this? Can they afford it, without destroying their Social Welfare Programs?

No, we are not going to build a world wide military infrastructure. We don't need it because it does not suit the objectives that we want to achieve with the military. We see such an infrastructure as an expensive waste. Why maintain bases in a whole bunch of countries for no real reason? If there is ever going to be a truly united European military, it will have two main tasks. First is territorial defense and the second is participating in certain UN missions for crisis management.

Also, if we were to really integrate our military, we could vastly increase its size and power without increasing its budget. Right now all member states spend money on their own armies, thus creating a lot of double costs. If there would be a more integrated European army, a huge chunk of that cost would be eliminated and that money could be spend on more troops and material.''

Oh and as for how nothing has changed, you do realize that the number of wars as well as their deadliness has decreased ever since the end of the Cold War?

Where to begin?

How do secure your imports from Rogue States. Oh I forgot, 'Cold War Over - History has STOPPED'.

What rogue states are threatening international trade? Iran? Okay, we got a fleet there. So do the Americans. The only way Iran can actually stop trade ships from sailing through completely is by turning it into a 'hot' war. I doubt they would do that because they know they would piss off the rest of the world and would inevitably lose the war. On top of that, Iran doing such a thing directly affects American interests, so I doubt America would retreat from that specific theater.

And other than Iran, who else poses such a massive threat to world trade? No one.

History has shown that when there is a 'Power Vacuum': OTHER's move in. Or has this ALSO stopped?

So we get a multipolar world order consisting of China, Russia, the EU, India, Brazil, the US and possibly also Iran and South Africa. Instead of the US getting to play as hegemony they have to share power with other countries. The horror!

What you have seen happen in the past, WILL happen in the future. If you disagree: Why?

The idea that time is cyclical is an idea that has no actual evidence supporting it. Sure, empires rise and fall, some very broad patterns do repeat itself, but each case is unique and happens for different reasons and has different consequences. What we have seen in the past is in this case completely unique because never before was there a power that was basically a hegemony. Never before have we seen weapons of such magnitude that it could make this planet uninhabitable for human life. Never before have we seen the economy become so independent from the state, never before have we seen those economies become so integrated. And never before has communication and information become so easily available to large parts of humanity. All these things combined will ensure that 'the fall of the American empire' if you want to be all dramatic about it, has vastly different consequences than the fall of any other empire.

Time for Western Europe to grow up, face facts, and take responsibility.

Responsibility for what? Ourselves? Yes, but that is what we have been working on ever since the 50's. Why do you think we started the whole European integration project? Because we though we could just let America take care of us? No, we did it because we didn't trust America would take care of us.

Where to begin?

Begin at the beginning, and go on 'til you come to the end, then stop.

How do secure your imports from Rogue States.

By not buying things from America.

How do you secure...?

I secure my question marks above the forward slash at the bottom right of the keyboard.

History has shown that when there is a 'Power Vacuum': OTHER's move in. Or has this ALSO stopped?

I bought a Dyson last year, but so far no-one else has moved into my house.

What you have seen happen in the past, WILL happen in the future. If you disagree: Why?

People assume that time is a strict progression from cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective point of view it is more like a big ball of wibbily wobbly timey wimey...stuff.

Time for Western Europe to grow up, face facts, and take responsibility.

We have grown up, which is why we don't tend to pick fights with each other like squabbling schoolboys any more.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.