Just last night, I posted a Stars & Stripes article about how the U.S. Army is preparing to kick-out thousands of junior officers because of recent budget cuts and Congressionally-mandated force reductions. Do you really think that the Russians respect and fear America anymore?
As Army shrinks, young officers are being pushed out
Pentagon Plans to Shrink Army to Pre-World War II Level
US Army's last tanks depart from Germany
Budget cuts force Air Force, Navy to ground aircraft
Hagel: Navy to Lay Up 11 Cruisers, Carrier Cut Decision Delayed until 2016 Budget
You might as well be playing a game of Risk since, despite all the chest beating on this board and elsewhere, we don't have the power to push the Russians (or the Red Chinese for that matter) back anymore. Period.
I missed nothing.
The US military is today being cut back to pre-9/11/01 Clinton era "peace dividend" levels = circa 3.5% of GDP.
After 9/11, the Bush II WOT increased military spending by about 1/3 to 4.5%+ of GDP.
These numbers compare to President Reagan's 7% of GDP defense spending, Vietnam era 10%, Korean War peak 15%, and Second World War peak of 45% of GDP.
Nothing like those numbers are imaginable today, short of some catastrophic world events.
However, strategic rivalries with countries like Russia and China never stopped, and the US military is still, in large part, configured based on analyses of what those countries can & can't do.
Today China is seen as rapidly expanding and modernizing its capabilities, hence the now often-announced "pivot" towards Asia.
And let us not forget that there are huge qualitative differences between technologies of today versus those of 20 years ago, much less WWII.
So the important question is not so much "how much do we spend?", as it is, "how much can our side do, compared to potential adversaries?"
In this respect, we still maintain serious advantages.
Bottom line: I certainly agree with you that the US has cut, and is still cutting back way too far.
But that is inherent in Democrats' leadership -- it's part of their political DNA to reduce the military by 1/3, while increasing Food Stamps by 1/3.
That's their definition of "happiness".
And none of that can change so long as Democrats are in charge, or have a veto (i.e., one house of Congress).
On top of that, we have Democrats' international "leadership" under the likes of John ("reminiscent of Genghis Kahn") Kerry, Barack (we apologize for America) O'bama, and Chuck (allegedly Republican) Hagel.
These do not inspire confidence in me, though they claim to have won friends and influenced people worldwide.
Again, my point is: none of this can change under our current political mixture, which means that has to change, and soon.
And that brings us to Victor Davis Hanson's most important point, which he saves until the end of his talk.
If you haven't heard it already, GO THERE NOW!
Timber Rattler: "we don't have the power to push the Russians (or the Red Chinese for that matter) back anymore. Period."
We never had either the power or desire to invade mainland Russia or China.
Our goal was always "containment", meaning: make them stay in their own countries.
And we never did that alone, always with allies, of which we still have some.
And we can still do a lot, with our allies, to make the new Czarists in Russia pay a steep price for their expansionist fantasies.