In 25 years, will the US still be world's #1 military power or will the USA be replaced by another world power?

Question

As I understand it, the World's #1 military power is replaced about every hundred years. I believe Portugal, then Spain, then France, then England, followed by the USA. Will China be next, or maybe Russia?

Lliam · Accepted Answer

The U. S. is fading as an economic power and being overshadowed by China and BRICS. Russia ain't doing so bad, either, despite sanctions.

The U. S. spends too much of military at the expense of the American people. And it is dependent on Chinese electronic components.

The U. S. could get crushed economically. If it does, it won't be able to maintain its military spending.
In the meantime other countries are developing sophisticated weaponry that can counter that of the U. S.
Hell, look at the way Iran's missiles are defeating U. S. anti-missile technology.

China has way more active military personnel. Russia and India each have nearly as many. The U. S. problem is, its personnel are spread out all over the world and each concentration is vulnerable.

The U. S. is good at picking on vulnerable countries but it lost in Viet Nam and Afghanistan, and seems to be at a stalemate with Iran.

The U. S. government has lost a lot of respect around the world. It is no longer seen as the beacon of peace, freedom and prosperity. It has supported war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide too many times. And it is an unreliable ally except where the universally hated Israeli entity is concerned.

Many developing or oppressed countries in the world want freedom from U. S. and western imperialism.

So, although the U. S. will remain a major military threat, especially given its nuclear capabilities, I think the world is becoming multipolar and many countries will decide to align with, say, BRICS, instead of the U. S.

I think the age of U. S. global dominance is waning, just like all empires. It is because of poor leadership.

ohsheeT · Accepted Answer

Every country is powerful it's not how powerful you are that's not having a way to kill people is not power real power is in the way of helping people and making everything flow good around the world that's true power not lying is power not manipulating is power not taken from other countries or bullying them is power

When a country knows who they are and who they want to be and who they want to be known as and they walk that line that's power but when you boast and you put it out there that you're oh so powerful that's when you're weak that's when you're scared and you are misusing it all and it will all be taken away from you it's just like with the human being the loudest person in the room is the scariest person same with countries everybody can back their play to a point but when your Giver that's power when your take her that's not power at all

Kelly6 · Accepted Answer

@kelley1 China is next in line, but difference is that China doesn't like to show off its military power all over the world as US or UK did.

douride2 · Accepted Answer

in my opinion China seems to be doing good.

NathanDavis · Answer

that's just not how it works...

now you have conglomerates... one of the reasons why the USA is number one, that's because of NATO logistics, another reason is because of Israel expertise... and other reasons like the Saudi being complicit and most of the world remaining neutral or complying

a lot of services are also for hire, this is a business first, nationalism second...

the people in control do not see this as nationalism... they only see profit where and how they can profit

RavVid · Answer

Rise and Fall of Empires is a good read and it illustrates what you have said. It was measured in steel produced. Germany and US overtook UK in volume of steel and they both thought they should have more say.

We know how that worked out. The British Empire faded.

It is not steel any more. It is not the land area you control anymore. It is the country of the mind now that really determines power.

A problem for the US is that it has allowed China to steal IP. A problem for the US is it focuses on perfection with weapon system when cheap & plentiful might be better e. g. drones... but it seems to picking up on that.

I think it depends on US IP more than anything relative to other countries IP.

Master_Debator · Answer

This is worse than those questions ask me to read the minds of some random male or female.

Let's do the maths...25 years minus my age... I was 18-ish back then... I that's around the time the 9/11 attacks happened and I joined the military not long after that. Seriously... back then I couldn't of guessed the people we were going to war against was being funded by the country we just smashed like a blacked out drunk girl I found asleep on my livingroom couch.

I honestly, back then thought we would already be worse off than Russia by now... so even I am not going to trust my opinion on preticting such a distant future.

In 25 years, will the US still be world's #1 military power or will the USA be replaced by another world power?

DryGermanGuy · Answer

Russia is done for, they have bad demographics, made them even worse by getting 500.000 younger people killed and wasted almost their complete arsenal of dumb iron in Ukraine. If they keep all the nonsense up, Russia will splinter into a number of republics like the Soviet Union did.
China might take first place, at least on paper. But their demographics are even worse than Russia’s and will lose them 500 million people in the coming decades. Also, their military arsenal is specifically designed to invade Taiwan and they have never proven to have mastered combined arms warfare in a real war.

BonzoInBitburg · Answer

The amount of money the US spends on their military is unsustainable. Last week the Treasury admitted the US is insolvent.

Dargil · Answer

Communist China will fade because of democratic suicide. Very much like Japan is doing now. India will emerge as a world power once it settles some of its cultural aberrations. They have all the natural resources that they need and can also rely on adjacent Southeast Asia to help them out with technology. India will emerge in my lifetime.

KostasKouvalis · Answer

So said it's number 1 right now? RUSSIA is number 1! The USA lost Iraq and Afghanistan.
But Russia, Georgia isn't even attempting to get back their territory that Russia took. Ukraine never got Crimea back.
Zelensky is getting his ass kicked
Assad stayed in power for 15 years thanks to Russia, and would've STAYED in power, had Russia not have its own war.
Russia does whatever the hell it wants

Twalli · Answer

England was really only powerful due to their navy. If you want the most powerful continental army after Napoleon was defeated, I'd probably give it to the Prussians which became the Germans, maybe the Hapsburgs of Austria-Hungary, but a lot of their lands came from marriages, and they were hemorrhaging land by the time Germany was unified under the Prussians.

capriVib · Answer

Currently, the US spends the most on defense with a budget of 921 billion dollars. In fact, if you combine the budgets of the next nine countries on the list, it still doesn't equal the US. While it seems like China might be the next global hegemon due to its rapid economic growth, I don't think that's possible in just 25 years. It looks like the current status quo will last for at least another century.

Amur8711 · Answer

China is most likely. But I don't see that changing unless they surpass us technology wise. Drones and AI is the current technology thats going to give an edge to a nation's military. However there are technologies that we have developed that no one knows about. We got a small hint of what one does in Venezuela. Imagine what else we don't know of yet. Unless the US falls econinomicly and from within I don't see how the US being #1 will change.

Kaneki05 · Answer

I don't see why they'd be replaced... this ain't like all of history. History before nukes everyone could attack each other and play the game.
But with nukes everyone is in a constant military stalemate so unless future tech can completely counter nukes why'd anything change?
And I don't see such tech existing, we maybe to minimize nukes but stop them destroying the world as we know it? Nah

Skyros · Answer

All I’ll say is nothing lasts forever. Every empire in history has fallen. Yes, believe it or not America is an empire. It’s because of landmass and being a top global power. One day, hope I don’t live to see it, America will fall. That’s just the way of the world. May God’s will be done.

permanentem · Answer

America has the critical mass of engineers, technology, and economy. Not only will America be the only super power in 25 years, the gap in power will be greater than it is now. No other economy spends as much or dedicates as much talent to their defense industry.

Sevenpointfive · Answer

i think change might be coming. we need a president that isn't reliant on the pentagon's need to know basis and one that will audit and hold them accountable for funds. when that happens we might be better than ever?

msc545 · Answer

The U. S. is not the world's number one military power now. The fact that we've lost every war following World War II that we've been involved in speaks for itself.

lightbulb27 · Answer

I think USA remains but we are fading as China takes over. They are smart, staing out of expensive wars and being patient. The snake will swallow the rat in time.

MannMitAntworten · Answer

Someone would have to out spend the United States for this to happen. No country comes remotely close. The United States has “toys”’that the world still hasn’t seen … and a Navy that is finally again modernizing. The scale is immense.

TonyMetal___86 · Answer

Maybe china or russia or india if the U. S loses it's first position

Grond21 · Answer

I don't know. But I suspect it still will be. There are some underlying principles that keep it as the number one power and currently, there are no threats to those.

molonski2 · Answer

China will certainly be No 1 in 25 years , they may well be already , certainly not the USA.

Aiko_E_Lara · Answer

The mid powers will rise studying the failures of the superpowers today.

Pterodon · Answer

As long as republicans are in the White House it’ll stay strong. Democrats make us weak

Iron_Man · Answer

We’ve always been number 1 and we will continue to be number one because we’re still the 1

TallAnon · Answer

There's definitely an arms race and while the US is using its resource, here in Europe we're stocking up.

Cidknee · Answer

USA has been running for 250 years. So there goes that theory!

qwerty2469 · Answer

There isn't a country that is withing 500 years of America's Technology and that's not saying anything about our war fighters. America could take on the whole world and win in 5 years.

888theGreat · Answer

No, and I am not sure we are now. China has bigger army and bigger Navy

Shiprex · Answer

Probably not be replaced but a lot less respected

exitseven · Answer

it will still be numero uno.

MikeTheBartender · Answer

Maybe China.

oldman26 · Answer

Not at the current rate

beefcakebradybatson · Answer

Likely China.

jahaims · Answer

Open a history book

Paige2006 · Answer

Portugal? LOL

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