[DoodleDawg]

The percentage increase in U.S. defense spending during that period is still higher than every one of our allies except South Korea and Australia. France, Great Britain, Japan, Italy all cut their defense spending over that period. Maybe the push should be for these countries to step up and fund their own defense and stop relying on the U.S. to do it for them?

[SkyPilot]

I agree that our allies (especially the Europeans) have been slacking for far too long. They have been shielded by our military. But Obama has changed the equation, because South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Japan now know for a fact that if China makes a move in the Pacific region, they cannot trust Obama to come to their aid.

The Liberals and the Left always point to the dollar-to-dollar charts of US spending vs. other nations as well, to justify our cuts. If we rely on that comparison, we are fooling ourselves. The Chinese and Russians can produce just as good (or even better) military capability for less cost. They don't have our environmental regulations, union wages, minority contract costs, legal system fees, and the rest to contend with.

In the raw number of troops, ships, and aircraft, our military looks good on paper, until you realize how many of those troops, ships, and aircraft are actual combat ready.