Isolationism, or common sense?
Stupidity because Paul argues as if he could shake a wand and make a choice. We can’t pull out of those countries on a dime. We have treaties and are embedded. POTUS has started the ball rolling for the countries we protect to start paying part of the bill. In the meantime we need to have the resources to protect America.
Rand Paul often takes positions that are rational but only if you are talking about making a society from scratch. Perhaps he is a voice worth hearing but more in the sense of what we should keep in mind rather than policy that can be implemented.
I wonder what an honest, independent outside audit of the US Military would show. Readiness in manpower, material, and weapon systems? Leadership?. Training? Procurement? Clandestine ops? Cash flow? Then again could we handle the truth?
The military is definitely underfunded. Make the mission smaller, I’m OK with that. But increase the budget and get us back to where we should be.
And you need to learn - stay focused - who did this, who really ramped up the DC crony capitalist contracting racket - why George Bush and Dick Cheney.
The Army has hand grenades, but no recruits strong enough to throw them.
Move our troops from Germany to Poland - reducing costs and letting Putin know we are moving forward, not leaving. Make the Kurds and Israel our official military allies in the Middle East; move our bases in Turkey to Iraqi Kurdistan, letting the mullahs in Tehran know we are moving forward not leaving; and move our Navy to ports in Israel from the Persian Gulf - telling the Gulf States and the Saudis to get Navies of their own to defend their oil shipping lanes. Move our 39,000 troops out of Japan to South Korea and the Philippines - more forward with the Norks and telling Japan to beef itself up.
common sense
stop stirring up foreign monsters
Great Point, RP!!!!!
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BOTH.
Poor title - should be, is our budget too small or is our mission too big. Easy, mission is way too big. We cannot save the world by destroying America. Cut all the freebees and giveaways to not only to the world, but to here at home.
The problem is that the U.S. lets problems around the world sit and fester. Fix lots of small problems with overwhelming might and the bigger problems will get smaller.
Cuba and Venezuela need regime change. Higher a contractor to run the countries until they get their crap together.
-the procurement process stinks and is full of process that drives cost and schedule.
-the maintenance items aren’t sexy and don’t garner any votes, so they’re ignored.
-the social engineering is a complete waste and at odds with the mission.
-too many programs are ‘designed by congress’ to ensure employment in their districts, rather than allowing customers to establish requirements and then having contractors to design and produce the best product.
Back when Putin first took office, he shrunk the number of troops massively, like in half, and pulled back from forward positions.
He used the money to MODERNIZE his entire military, to the point of being able to shoot down Israeli aircraft and send ours running for their lives.
We need to do something similar...either shrink down and modernize (which probably wouldn’t be smart), or spend what’s needed, to at least catch up to the Russians and hopefully get ahead of them again.
We waste more than we spend in the military right now.
Security clearances are now being held up because, as usual, there isn’t enough investigators to complete security applications.
The entire industry as “current clearances only” because they can’t get any approved.
This means paying contract agencies loads extra for delayed projects.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost over a trillion dollars and lasted for over 15 years.
And how much has been spent on welfare programs over the same time frame?.
The motto should be:
“The US Military. Undermanned and Overmissioned.”