“...but be ready so the real bad guys don’t get too froggy.”
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There’s plenty of “bad guys” in our only military complex. Right now I don’t see any of the nations you mentioned with anything close to a global influence. The same cannot be said for the US.
That's always been the case for our peacetime military. Perfumed Princes of the Pentagon (PPP's) are awarded and promoted mainly for tight management, budgeting, and political correctness.
It generally washes out in war.
I worry we won't have the luxury of time in the next great one for the PPP's to lose and be replaced by leaders.
Still, nature abhors a vacuum, the cream rises to the top, but I'd still rather us than China be the world's top dog.