Hypothetical Military Match Up. USA vrs the Iran/Syrian Axis
Even if you multiply the CIA facts by a factor of the 10 on the absurd notion that they are successfully "hiding" their real military from us, the Iran/Syria Axis comes NO where near the US ALONE in Military power.
I am not even going to bother putting Israel and the NATO countries on our side. The scale all ready tips so heavily to the US there is no reason to pile on.
This is JUST a comparison between the US and the Iran/Syrian Axis. For fun I will include Egypt and the Saudis as part of the Iran/Syrian Axis to show how absurd the "It's World War Three" babbling is.
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/united_states/united_states_military.html
USA.
Military branches:
Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age; 17 years of age with written parental consent (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 67,742,879
females age 18-49: 67,070,144 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 54,609,050
females age 18-49: 54,696,706 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 2,143,873
females age 18-49: 2,036,201 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$518.1 billion (FY04 est.) (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.06% (FY03 est.) (2005 est.)
***Snip***
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/iran/iran_military.html
Iran.
Iran Military - 2006
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/iran/iran_military.html SOURCE: 2006 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Military branches:
Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami, IRGC): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Qods Force (special operations), and Basij Force (Popular Mobilization Army); Law Enforcement Forces (2004)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; soldiers as young as 9 were recruited extensively during the Iran-Iraq War; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 18,319,545
females age 18-49: 17,541,037 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 15,665,725
females age 18-49: 15,005,597 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 862,056
females age 18-49: 808,044 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$4.3 billion (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.3% (2003 est.)
****Snip*****
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/syria/syria_military.html
Syria
Military branches:
Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command) (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 4,356,413
females age 18-49: 4,123,339 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,453,888
females age 18-49: 3,421,558 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 225,113
females age 18-49: 211,829 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.9% (FY00)
***Snip*****
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/egypt/egypt_military.html
Egypt
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for conscript military service; three-year service obligation (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 18,347,560
females age 18-49: 17,683,904 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 15,540,234
females age 18-49: 14,939,378 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 802,920
females age 18-49: 764,176 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2.44 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.4% (2004)
******Snip****
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/saudi_arabia/saudi_arabia_military.html
Saudi Arabia
Military branches:
Land Forces (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 7,648,999
females age 18-49: 5,417,922 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 6,592,709
females age 18-49: 4,659,347 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 247,334
females age 18-49: 234,500 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$18 billion (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
10% (2002)
Yeah, but it doesn't include the part about half the US populace being traitors, the buckets of manure dumped on the heads of anyone advocating doing anything about any of it, the weariness of the hawks, the imminent victory of the left at the polls, etc. We are not, in fact, going to do a gosh darn thing. Except vote for some slap on the wrist economic sanctions and not scold Israel too much. We will be called ruthless warmongers for those offenses, and then Iran will test its new nukes. And we will sit here and watch, and lots of people will say "I told you so", but nobody will actually get off their ass.