Is voting for a "strong military" just code for voting for enriching the war industry at the expense of the rest of us?

[msc545]

How many bombs, tanks, rifles, planes, and nuclear weapons are really needed?

[Anonymous]

Well if you believe China and Russia are a threat and NATO should be a thing and that the us military should intervene anywhere in the world then the us military needs to be updated otherwise you believe America should be isolationist and put America first.

That's basically what the us military is doing right now. It's getting rid of all it's cold war era designs and equipment and replacing it all with newer advanced designs. Name anything in the us military from the cold war or war on terror and I guarantee its being replaced.

"How many bombs, tanks, rifles, planes, and nuclear weapons are really needed?"

We could barely supply Ukraine let alone ourselves in an actual war.

Biden's war in Ukraine has already enriched the military industrial complex as did Obamas wars in Syria, Libya and Yemen.

[msc545]

The US military has no business being involved in conflicts that have nothing to do with the US. THAT shit is how Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq got started.

Ukraine got surplus military equipment and ammunition for cannons. We build ne military gear and we use missiles, not cannons.

[Opinion Owner]

Ukraine got surplus military equipment that was surplus because the us is replacing them with new equipment. But they needed for instance a lot of ammunition and the us struggled to supply it.
So you agree that NATO should be disbanded if the us shouldn't support militarily it's allies. Allies like south Vietnam? The Afgan national army? Kuwait and Saudi Arabia (gulf war)? Or pursue organisations and their supporters that attack the us like Aqueda?
America first is what you are saying?

[Opinion Owner]

To date, we have provided $65.9 billion in military assistance since Russia launched its premeditated, unprovoked, and brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and approximately $69.2 billion in military assistance since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014. We have now used the emergency Presidential Drawdown Authority on 55 occasions since August 2021 to provide Ukraine military assistance totaling approximately $27.688 billion from DoD stockpiles.

[Opinion Owner]

Air Defence:
Three Patriot air defense batteries and munitions;
12 National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and munitions;
HAWK air defense systems and munitions;
AIM-7, RIM-7, and AIM-9M missiles for air defense;
More than 3,000 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles;
Avenger air defense systems;
VAMPIRE counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) and munitions;
c-UAS gun trucks and ammunition;
Mobile c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems;
Other c-UAS equipment;
Anti-aircraft guns and ammunition;
Air defense systems components;
Equipment to integrate Western launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s systems;
Equipment to support and sustain Ukraine’s existing air defense capabilities; and
21 air surveillance radars.

[Opinion Owner]

Artillery

More than 40 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and ammunition;
Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb launchers and guided rockets;
More than 200 155mm Howitzers and more than 3,000,000 155mm artillery rounds;
More than 7,000 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
More than 100,000 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) Systems;
72 105mm Howitzers and 1,000,000 105mm artillery rounds;
10,000 203mm artillery rounds;
More than 400,000 152mm artillery rounds;
Approximately 40,000 130mm artillery rounds;
40,000 122mm artillery rounds;
60,000 122mm GRAD rockets;
More than 300 mortar systems;
More than 700,000 mortar rounds;
More than 100 counter-artillery and counter-mortar radars; and
More than 50 multi-mission radars.

[Opinion Owner]

Ground Maneuver

31 Abrams tanks;
45 T-72B tanks;
More than 300 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles;
Four Bradley Fire Support Team vehicles;
More than 400 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers;
More than 900 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers;
More than 400 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles;
More than 1,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles;
More than 5,000 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
More than 200 light tactical vehicles;
300 armored medical treatment vehicles;
80 trucks and more than 200 trailers to transport heavy equipment;
More than 1,000 tactical vehicles to tow and haul equipment;
153 tactical vehicles to recover equipment;
10 command post vehicles;
30 ammunition support vehicles;
29 armored bridging systems;
20 logistics support vehicles and equipment;
239 fuel tankers and 105 fuel trailers;
58 water trailers;
Six armored utility trucks;
125mm, 120mm, and 105mm tank ammunition;
More than 1,800,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition; and
Mine clearing equipment.

[Opinion Owner]

Aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Systems

20 Mi-17 helicopters;
Switchblade Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS);
Phoenix Ghost UAS;
CyberLux K8 UAS;
Higher-600 UAS;
Jump-20 UAS;
Hornet UAS
Puma UAS;
Scan Eagle UAS;
Penguin UAS;
Raven UAS;
Other UAS;
Two radars for UAS;
High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs);
Air-to-ground munitions;
Support equipment for F-16s;
More than 6,000 Zuni aircraft rockets;
More than 20,000 Hydra-70 aircraft rockets; and
Munitions for UAS.

[Opinion Owner]

Anti-armor and Small Arms

More than 10,000 Javelin anti-armor systems;
More than 120,000 other anti-armor systems and munitions;
More than 10,000 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
More than 50,000 grenade launchers and small arms;
More than 500,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades;
Laser-guided rocket systems and munitions;
Rocket launchers and ammunition; and
Anti-armor mines.

[Opinion Owner]

Maritime

Two Harpoon coastal defense systems and anti-ship missiles;
More than 100 coastal and riverine patrol boats;
Unmanned Coastal Defense Vessels; and
Port and harbor security equipment.

[Opinion Owner]

Other capabilities

M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment for obstacle clearing;
Obstacle emplacement equipment;
Counter air defense capability;
More than 100,000 sets of body armor and helmets;
Tactical secure communications systems and support equipment;
Four satellite communications (SATCOM) antennas;
SATCOM terminals and services;
Electronic warfare (EW) and counter-EW equipment;
Commercial satellite imagery services;
Night vision devices, surveillance and thermal imagery systems, optics, and rangefinders;
Equipment to protect critical national infrastructure;
Explosive ordnance disposal equipment and protective gear;
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear protective equipment;
Medical supplies, including first aid kits, bandages, monitors, and other equipment;
Field equipment, cold weather gear, generators, and spare parts; and
Support for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.

[dustybiker2]

How many brand new tanks are rusting in the desert rusting since the 1990's was it?

Rich people never think of the cost, only personal gain.

[MisterWack]

I believe you can have only so much weaponry because the limit is how many well trained troops do you have to operate said weaponry. America has a lot of weaponry which goes towards interests on the global front ‘War On Terror’ & ‘Communism Scares’ type deals. We should be shifting those military funds towards more productive things (homeless, healthcare, nonprofits, police reform, education, etc.).

My perspective: The money would be wasted anyway, why not utilize it for a greater good that helps our fellow man?

[msc545]

The US sells a lot of those weapons to other countries which utilize them in their wars and of course wind up buying more weapons from the US like Israel does. In response to Gaza. The result is that the military contractors make an absolute Fortune for tune off both the initial sale and the resale of all of this stuff. From the government standpoint, you don't need troops to operate these weapons. You just need a place to store the weapons. They don't buy weapons with the idea of anybody using them. They buy weapons with the idea of placating the war contractors.

[MisterWack]

@msc545 Sadly, very accurate & very on point with this tragedy.

[WindAtMyBack]

You do know that the majority of military spending is payroll, right? And most of the rest that is not payroll is still payroll for military contractors. And you also know that a lot of military spending isn't military at all. And you know that the military is probably the biggest and best educational institutions in the country, if not the world?

I don't know what this "war industry" is that you talk about. They are paying people to work. But I suppose you'd rather pay people to not work.

[DryGermanGuy]

I think for most people they are just echoing the same old mantras from their social circle, without even having any deeper thought about it. Guns don't kill people, Better dead than red, Think about the chillrum, bla bla bla...

As to your specific question, I believe lobbying is strong in Washington and military lobbying is especially strong.

[Red_Arrow]

The things you mentioned are important, but even more important is the knowledge and expertise needed to use them wisely. And currently out our Idiot Emperor is firing the people who have the expertise and replacing them with idiots who know nothing about a strong military and would not give him any good advice if they had it because they would not want to get tossed out of the feeding trough he set up to make all his idiots stay in line with what he wants, no matter how stupid it is.

[Anonymous]

Something I always jealous of as a marine was how the National Guard got deployed domestically to help during natural disasters, riots, policing etc.

https://youtu.be/O4Yn1zh7LEw?si=wyR46CI13YmfDB7uhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/QeVt4j_T7-8https://youtu.be/Yf3cCthUtK8?si=rTNZeqKOC9ARiSKJ

[Anonymous]

you can have all the gear and still no idea, a think a strong military is an all rounder. Can handle any situation thrown a it. I think its why the British military can out perform their paper weight as they think and are creative with what resource they have.

[ProbablyClueless]

Eh... I would argue that the cost of actually using that material because of a weak military is considerably greater than a big initial investment of making a strong show of force.

Prolonged simmering conflicts are so much more expensive than taxpayers realize. Especially when our country does stuff like fund both sides of conflicts

[msc545]

Of course we fund both sides of conflicts. This is about making money. Not making sense.

[ProbablyClueless]

Don't you remember getting that mail-in survey from the Federal government asking if you thought it was a good idea to send funds and equpment to Saudi Arabia, iran and Israel?

[msc545]

Quite honestly, I don't think I ever received that

[msc545]

I remember getting a letter from them telling me it was time for me to send them even more money. Does that count?

[ProbablyClueless]

It might! Depends on how much you love freedom and democracy

[OneViewpoint]

Yes. The sad thing is the idiots voting for "a strong military" don't even know they've been manipulated into this belief by propaganda from the defense industry.

[purplepoppy]

Sounds like a build up to an invasion to me. First Canada then the middle east and Europe

[SmokinAces2000]

It’s a mindset that has been passed down in this country. Why do you think so many people in the Deep South have 20 different guns.

[Keyboardkat]

Nope. It's about our military refocusing on what it's true role should be, instead of on DEI and on pronouns and all that other Woke shit!

[Anonymous]

It needs to be a strong and accountable to the people military or it might as well not exist at all.
Being as much a threat to them as the enemy it was built to discourage.

[lightbulb27]

Its how power maintained to jeep the wealth and order as it is.

[Dargil]

No, it is not.

[msc545]

Why not? Who is it that you think gets he money from this?

[Dargil]

It is "code" for good war fighters, good leadership and good equipment.

[msc545]

Us spends literally a trillion dollars a year on war equipment. And you're telling me that somehow that excessive amount of money makes things much better right? Meanwhile, we have no universal health insurance in a crappy public education system. So who does that expense help? It sure as hell doesn't help me or you.

[Sevenpointfive]

zelensky! come out and playyy