Lets Face It
 

For the amount of money we pay towards it, our military is pretty weak. I just don't get how in the middle of what everyone agrees is a need to get more conventional - with boots on the ground- we instead throw good money after bad and buy a bunch of technologically wonderous crap that makes virtually no difference in TWAT.

Oh, and why can't we have the Israeli anti-RPG system?? That would save lives! But no. Alas, the US military industrial complex is one hungry fat, inefficient beast that won't be ignored, but can't be touched either.

I would love to see the per capita defense expenditure of the US vs. China. It would be interesting to see what kind of "bang" we get for our buck.

Good day, mates.

Re: Lets Face It
 

The problem with our military is pork. Useless programs get funded if they bring jobs to areas with powerful members of congress.

Re: Lets Face It
 

According to Wiki, the US budget is 7 times more than China and more than China plus the 14 next countries COMBINED.

China's population is what 1.5 bill? So if the US pop is 300 mill, then our per-capita spending on military is 35 times more than China's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militar..._United_States

Re: Lets Face It
 

B to the INGO! Pujo got BINGO!

Re: Lets Face It
 

wow.....maverick, thats some quick and enlightening stuff. Thanks.

Re: Lets Face It
 

If we faught a conventional war against China I'd take our military 150 times out of 100.

The problem with out military is that we had the concept of a smaller, more technically advanced, rapid moving force right, but then decided to go fight a long, arduous, ground war, that entailed a 10 year occupation. Had we acted as we usually do, as a defender of freedom and not an invader, we'd be ok.

Re: Lets Face It
 

It is interesting to note on Wiki that the money for Iraq and Afghanistan is NOT counted as part of the federal military budget, but rather through supplemental spending bills, so the per-capita number is actually much higher than the x35 I sad.

Wiki:
"Finally, it must be stressed that the recent invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan are funded outside the Federal Budget (i.e. are paid for through supplementary spending bills) and are therefore external to the military budget figures listed above.[6] In addition, the United States has long had a history of black budget military spending which is not listed as Federal spending and is not included in published military spending figures. Thus, the true amount spent by the United States on military spending is significantly higher than the given budgetary figures."

Re: Lets Face It
 

No ***** sherlock. We spend more than anyone else in the world by far on war. We rule the world through rule of might, not rule of right as we may like to think.

Re: Lets Face It
 

Obviously, they are not part of their annual budget. You don't budget in a war ahead of time, as you would only be budgeting in operating costs. During war you have combat pay, loss of equipment, the need of additional equipment for combat operations, replacement munitions, fuel, etc...

Re: Lets Face It
 

I don't think he's saying there's something sketchy about that, only that you have to add those things if you want to get a true cost.