Posted on 02/22/2023 2:28:00 PM PST by hardspunned
Yet
Ding, Ding, Ding, we have a winner. You are exactly right. I have been saying the same thing since last March.
That is hardly “the best we have”.
Some obsolete artillery and light vehicles, and a tiny number of limited high tech systems. There are still only 20 HIMARS launchers, out of @ 500 in US inventory, just as a for instance.
No USAF, no long range weapons, no tanks, no attack helicopters, etc. etc.
What do you count as “the best we have”?
Details please. No rhetoric.
“Yep, not to mention that China is quite lacking in the experience department. They haven’t fought a real war in almost 70 years.”
And we haven’t fought a Naval war in 70 years either. For that matter, we haven’t WON a war in 70 years.
Which really got goosed up by Cheney and the WOT. The DC Beltway is one big ring road of defense contractors vying with defense contractors to peddle the best powerpoint slide deck for the latest defense scam. All those highrises in McClean are monument to our globalist war. And not a single thing of use is manufactured in any of that sprawling mess except crossed palms and lined pockets.
It’s not exactly the trade surplus that gives the chicoms a financial advantage. The interest we pay them on the US bonds they hold covers the entire expense of their military budget. If those payments were to stop XI would be in a spot. I expect that’s enough to keep him at least a little bit polite?
If you REALLY want to be disappointed, find out how much of those pension billions are for Biden, Inc. friendly, retired prosecutors and other complicit Uke oligarchs. Uke golden parachutes provided on our grandkids’ tab.
and yet, we’re scrapping ships 10yar old
“US can’t keep up with China’s warship building, Navy Secretary says”
Would have been NICE of the Neocons to consider the above BEFORE 2023 and actually do some stuff to stop them, as Trump and people like him in the past had called for.
But no, the Neocons literally HELP the Chinese become a bigger manufacturing power than the US and Europe COMBINED via free-trade deals...and then decide to pick a war over Taiwan.
Great strategy, Neocons. In less than two years you NEOCONS now have the two most powerful militaries in the world AT OUR THROATS.
Where does he think he will get the people to man the ships?
Nobody has fought a current-tech Naval war since 1945. The situation is ripe for surprises in all directions. Weapons systems and sensors and tactics and platforms will be found to be useless, inadequate, or decisive wonder weapons. No telling what they will be.
My current expectation is that Chinese ship survivability is poor vs US long range attack from USN and USAF systems, and ditto for their submarines. And this is without risking carrier groups within the danger zone of Chinese missile attack.
Strategically the Chinese Navy is a long way from being able to protect their foreign trade from a USN “distant blockade”, a la the Royal Navy vs Germany in WWI and WWII.
But we may find out.
Then WTH does $200+BILLION in 12 months pay for? Details please. Check out my tag. With some effort, that is an achievable goal for you.
Okay, however… current production hard cap means in an all out 6 week shooting war there is no incoming production restock.
The main point is any war at this point is what you have in stores when the shooting begins. We aren’t building replacement tanks, planes and carriers and rushing them to the front again.
Budgeted is not spent. Actual expense at this point is more like $60B.
Much of that is internal accounting of “book value” of surplus equipment, not actual money. All those thousands of decades old Hummvees, M113’s, MRAPS for instance, which are carried at acquisition value and may at this point be worth their scrap value.
Go look at the detailed lists of equipment transferred. Getting down to the nitty gritty is very important.
The navy is upset the USS Fornication and USS They/Them are running behind schedule.
No there is no restock coming under present conditions.
The problem is however solvable, should there be the will. The US problem is one of governance, aka leadership, not means.
Elon Musk with SpaceX is the model.
Compare the construction price per foot of the nations’ warships and that may shed light on the issue. Separately, except for beating up on sad sack, low tech 3rd World natives, do surface ships have much of a future in modern battle? Or are they, like tanks, too vulnerable and thus should be relegated to smaller quantities in specialized roles?
…but our navy has more diversity officers. That’ll scare ‘em….
Ping.
To be fair the USA with it’s unionized everything approaching drives up cost and has made American products not competitive
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