[Centurion2000]

The War College is going to have a field day with this one for the next couple of decades.

Never thought about it before but America has THE most battle hardened military in the world.

[RightWhale]

America has THE most battle hardened military in the world

It does now, in a manner of speaking. Unless there is another such war, the effects will wear off in about 20 years. Still, it is only one in a hundred of the general population who now has battle experience, and most of those are 70-90 and most of the rest are 50-60.

[kms61]

Which will remain true for the officers and senior NCO's for years to come. However, it's important to remember that there's ALWAYS going to be a high turnover in the junior enlisted ranks; Most of these guys will serve one or two hitches and move on to the next stage in their lives.

So unless we engage in ongoing warfare for the forseeable future (which I can't imagine any sane person would welcome), in the next conflict most of the troops will again be seeing combat for the first time. Thus the premium on training that's as hard and realistic as you can make it.

That, along with our technological edge, is what I think sets our military apart.

[NeonKnight]

Never thought about it before but America has THE most battle hardened military in the world.

The capabilites of our armed forces are impressive, but it is so much more than just conflict. It is complete psychological dominance. It is always taking the innitiative and forcing the enemy to respond. It is throwing more darts, from more different directions, than his system can tolerate. Brilliant!