How important to you is United States having a strong military?

[strateguy632]

a, not important?

b, a bit important?

c, very important?

d, important?

[Flatmanlewis]

There is a very compelling and well thought out argument that the US military, besides being the instrument by which we protect our nation, now represents a large part of our economic stability. Our ability to insure the safe travel of commerce, freedom of the seas, and assured response to any threats to those. Also, since the US dollar is still the dominant currency in the world the backing of US might (particularly since currencies are rarely backed by good as they once were) insures its stability and universal acceptance. Lastly, there is only one single entity that can respond globally to a crisis with everything from humanitarian aid, to immediate infrastructure, to overwhelming assets within days and that is the US military. The most powerful militaries after ours can scratch together a fraction of the resources we can deploy. We have more deployable & credible aircraft carriers and expeditionary units than the rest of the world combined. They have responded to countless disasters and crisis around the world before private or NGOs could even mobilize.


Now, the US government needs to invest in its military people: recruiting lags and qualified recruits are not choosing this life. Obviously pay & benefits matter but more so is clear leadership and a military that can show we won’t pull another Afghanistan debacle and diminish the sacrifices made to political expediency.

[MysticDevice]

Critical. We tried having a small military long ago and we paid the price in blood.

We tried to mind our business and keep to ourselves. But 2 world wars came to our shores.

Peace through superior firepower is how we stay sovereign.

[wolfcat87]

No world war ever came to our shores...

[MysticDevice]

December 7th, 1941. Japanese attack on Hawai'i and the invasion of the Aleutian Islands (Alaska) on June 6th, 1942.

Zimmerman Telegram, 1917. German High Command requesting Mexico to invade the United States through Texas.

[spartan55]

Because our military along with geography are deterrents.

[sage2021]

C - very important, especially in these times 🇺🇸

One of the challenges we have is recruiting people to join the military. We are in a deficit of people right now.

People aren't stupid. They see VET'S that did their time in the military only to be kicked to the curb when they become civilians again.
I'm sure most of you have heard that the Vets they were given a Hotel room only to be kicked out to live on the sidewalk while these illegals were given the hotel room he was entitled to. That us so wrong!!!
Then there's the type of people that join that aren't the same type of people we used to have in our military.

So, it's important but I don't think we need a military with sissy people in it.
Sorry to say, but we need masculine men to be in our military.
The women that join have a lot of problems with getting raped and sexually harassed.

I am not putting down anyone here, but I answered the question that our military is very important to me.
Sorry if I have offended anyone here.

[wolfcat87]

We have the 3rd largest amount of soldiers in the world. The two countries with more have populations of over a billion each compared to our 350 million. We do not have a deficit. We actually have paid people to leave the military on multiple occasions when we have too many. Veterans have an incredible amount of benefits compared to the average citizen once they get out. House loans with no down payment, priority hiring/first chance at any job they apply to, free college, free housing if they become homeless, etc. You sound a bit brainwashed and uninformed. I'm the spouse of a career military member and from a family full of veterans. Your info is not accurate.

[Nikki1989]

Every country needs one.

[BCA6010]

Very important.

That said, we are doing it very wrong and have a ton of bloat, especially in the officer corps - a holdover problem that has been unique to the US since the first world war. We are also blowing tons of money on stupid sh*t while failing to support and maintain the things we actually need, solely in the name of lining the right pockets along the way. For this reason, I strongly oppose throwing money at the DoD and its contractors without strings attached, and generally oppose sending our newer equipment overseas to our allies (and non allies) who do not and never will pay for them.

[strateguy632]

if i could give 2 mho to each gender you were seond best very helpful explanation.

[WindAtMyBack]

Very important for the US and the rest of the world.

The US let it's guard down and had an isolationist attitude after the first world war. We were seen as weak and paid the price. Don't want that to happen again.

[wolfcat87]

We never paid any price, what are you talking about?

[strateguy632]

i agree with you, we learned.

[WindAtMyBack]

@wolfcat87
We ended up being drawn into a war that we didn't want.

[wolfcat87]

We had the choice to not enter unlike European countries.

[WindAtMyBack]

@wolfcat87
No, we were not given a choice. We were fucking attacked - because we were seen as weak. Neither Germany or Japan took us seriously.

[wolfcat87]

The U. S. wasn't really attacked though, since the attack happened in Hawaii. Hawaii was not part of the U. S. Before that, the U. S. was already meddling in the war when we could have easily stayed out.

[WindAtMyBack]

@wolfcat87
Huh? You are denying reality. I have no idea what your goal is, but what you are saying is not even rational. Nor is it historically accurate.

[wolfcat87]

Easy facts to look up. Which part do you think is untrue? Hawaii did not become a state until 1959, Pearl Harbor was in 1941. The U. S. was taking over island nations against the will of their people and setting up bases across the pacific to more easily wage war on Japan. Japan was not focused on the U. S. until the U. S. began meddling in their affairs with China and creeping towards them and causing issues for them all around. So, do provide courses proving any of these facts wrong. A person studying history more than you and then disagreeing with you doesn't = a person denying reality, inaccurate, or irrational.

[WindAtMyBack]

@wolfcat87
Everything you said is 100% irrelevant to what I said. They attacked us. Simple as that.

Now get lost.

[wolfcat87]

They attacked a military threat to their nation over 4,900 miles away from U. S. soil. They did not attack innocent Americans minding their own business on American soil. You can get angry, but the facts are facts and easily verified.

[WindAtMyBack]

@wolfcat87
I said get lost. That means get lost. It does not mean keep posting.

[jshm2]

It never had a strong military. It has a large military complex, like the Soviet Union.

But with the Soviet Union gone, it's turned into a monopoly and it's why the world is going to shit. The USA needs to be broken up like the Soviet Union, and for similar reasons. The world no longer needs such superstates.

[wolfcat87]

We have the 3rd largest amount of soldiers in the world. The two countries with more have populations of over a billion each compared to our 350 million.

[strateguy632]

hmm strong enough to crush japan at japs height, and germany twice is "strong" and "strongest". 90 f16 is very "strong", that times ten in u. s. is stronger.
2 about monopoly nope, russia and china competed. and have vast militaries. and compete so no monopoly.
3, break up, is different because in u. s. the states voted to JOIN the union, in contrast to soviet republics never asked to join so left separate since 1991. now russia again wants ukraine republic. get it?

[spartan55]

Very important. It's more of a deterrent then anything.

[wolfcat87]

We can do that with nukes and just the special forces. There are no real threats to the U. S.

[spartan55]

Not at the moment.

[wolfcat87]

The last real threat on U. S. soil was the Civil War... and we were the threat.

[equinoxmist]

C. A weaker US military makes a moee dangeeous world.

[wolfcat87]

Not really

[equinoxmist]

How do?

[equinoxmist]

*how so

[NathanDavis]

it is one of the pillars of the USA economy, so... whether we approve/like it or not... it is am important aspect in our lives, no doubt

[Sparkie460]

I say c because we need a good military to defend ourselves

[wolfcat87]

We have not needed to defend ourselves in over 100 years

[spartan55]

@wolfcat87
Pearl Harbor was over a hundred years ago?

[wolfcat87]

@spartan55 Pearl Harbor was not part of the U. S. It was an independent nation we were in the process of stealing from its queen and people.

[wolfcat87]

Hawaii was the independent nation. It became part of the U. S. and a state in Aug 1959. Pearl Harbor was Dec 1941.

[spartan55]

That must be why we have a military base there. Regardless, it was an attack on US interests and led to us joining WWII.

[spartan55]

Hawaii became a US Terri tory in 1898.

[genericname85]

A. i'm not living in the USA and i'd love to see that countries downfall.

[wolfcat87]

That's sad

[strateguy632]

you and those like you made book hunger games a success, thinking about a "post apocolypse Appalachia" replacing the demolished u. s. in north America.

[genericname85]

i don't think of the downfall of america as "apocalyptic". i consider it to be an even of global relieve from a great oppressor. i imagine a great time of global peace could ensue without america deciding to fuck up some country every other year. i don't want the world to burn and people to suffer. i don't consider the americans "the good guys". i have no negative feelings towards individual citizens but towards the foreign politics that the people there seem to support.

[RedInnocent68]

An unfortunate necessity, but probably a bit overdone.

[strateguy632]

china has thousands of jets, more new fighter jets than u. s. new ones. russia has thousands of tanks far more tanks than u. s. now shipping them to alaska is not likely but for our allies in Europe those tanks are an issue. not yet overdone.

[love_conquers_lust]

Important