America is about to pass the biggest peacetime military budget of any nation in history. And yet, as the excellent Van Jackson (@WonkVJ) notes, American militarism is not in a happy place. “It is wild that the House is appropriating $886 billion for the defense budget … and NOBODY is happy with it.”
Military as sacred cow, bloated budgets for things the country doesn't need, unending bitch fights over cultural issues primarily intended to score points at the expense of the other team, the list goes on.
Sounds like a third world country. But a third world country with nukes and a hyperbelligerent foreign policy.
Tremendous stuff, this. Without a root-and-branch reform beginning with some coherent understanding of what constitutes the legitimate security needs of the United States this rudderless and bloated military along with the n-many jackals feasting thereupon will continue to drift aimlessly until a crisis forces a concentration of minds. Don't be too terribly surprised if the crisis in question turns out to be domestic ...
Super. They could have chosen the name “space cadets”. Not sure why they passed that up. Maybe when they establish their Outer Point military training school they can revisit.
What is the US preparing to defend? That is really the question. As Swedish I can't help wonder if Erdoghan in the end is going to save us from being allied to a Trump nation.
good review. The military budget is indeed far to high. Your initial point about the challenge in a multi polar world is accurate. The attempted Russian take over of Ukraine, and the United States response underscore the strategy of a multi country approach to defending democracy in the world. The massive destruction and suffering of WWII are evidence of what could happen if we don’t. Yet the overly kind view of the impact of Trump’s pro authoritarian views, his decade long financial courting of Putin and the Russian oligarchy, and the seemingly mindless politicians that now court Trump weaken your analysis of why parts of the nation are less supportive of the military.
Yeah, weird. But so many folks were born after the 1950s and do not really know about life under the authoritarian fascists, Hitler, Mussolini and others. Countless millions killed. and destruction. The US under Roosevelt did not assist the Spanish Republic against the right wing Spanish military and Hitler. MTG is right! Pres. Biden is finishing FDRs work. “But he is sooo old.”
The macroeconomic implications of peculiarly outsized US military spending are underexplored. The stimulative effects of military spending in the services and manufacturing sectors are likely muted by high transaction costs (AKA, procurement bureaucracy and set-aside politics) and the unique character of current military capabilities (AKA, virtually no civil economic use cases for munitions, aircraft carriers, stealth fighters, or most military helicopters, or even civil adaptation of associated production capabilities). Meanwhile, a significant proportion of US defense spending flows directly into foreign hands via engagement of local foreign providers for unsexy but vital support services for overseas operations. For example, a significant proportion of the trillions in US spending on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan--fuel for vehicles, aircraft, and electric generators; food, housing, and laundry for troops; transport, construction, and maintenance services--flowed straight into the network of regional, foreign-owned and -operated subcontractors on which the big US defense companies depend. In short, the American public is isolated from its military socially as well as economically.
Sailors have the waterline as a dividing element, while the space is truly tri-dimensional, with gravity as the most important factor to consider.
Also, maybe it would have been useful to peek at what is presently happening in Israel to give a warning for the unraveling of US society and its military - the letter of several hundreds of Israeli pilots to their government comes to mind....
Really well written on the Space Force. To add a concurring point(and a slight nitpick) Peterson Air Force Base and Shriever Air Force Base were both renamed Peterson and Shriever Space Force Base two years ago now. The branch has totally dropped the ball on putting itself out there, and the inability of the service to effectively make the case that they and their mission set is a serious deal is damaging to the support they need
The biggest flaw in the second opinion poll noted here is that it only includes democrats and Republicans. Where does that leave the Independents, who make up the plurality (42%) of voters?
Military as sacred cow, bloated budgets for things the country doesn't need, unending bitch fights over cultural issues primarily intended to score points at the expense of the other team, the list goes on.
Sounds like a third world country. But a third world country with nukes and a hyperbelligerent foreign policy.
Tremendous stuff, this. Without a root-and-branch reform beginning with some coherent understanding of what constitutes the legitimate security needs of the United States this rudderless and bloated military along with the n-many jackals feasting thereupon will continue to drift aimlessly until a crisis forces a concentration of minds. Don't be too terribly surprised if the crisis in question turns out to be domestic ...
Super. They could have chosen the name “space cadets”. Not sure why they passed that up. Maybe when they establish their Outer Point military training school they can revisit.
But seriously though...
What is the US preparing to defend? That is really the question. As Swedish I can't help wonder if Erdoghan in the end is going to save us from being allied to a Trump nation.
Good info . Way too partisan . For the military - they brought it on themselves .
good review. The military budget is indeed far to high. Your initial point about the challenge in a multi polar world is accurate. The attempted Russian take over of Ukraine, and the United States response underscore the strategy of a multi country approach to defending democracy in the world. The massive destruction and suffering of WWII are evidence of what could happen if we don’t. Yet the overly kind view of the impact of Trump’s pro authoritarian views, his decade long financial courting of Putin and the Russian oligarchy, and the seemingly mindless politicians that now court Trump weaken your analysis of why parts of the nation are less supportive of the military.
The idea that the US is "defending democracy" is a hoot.
Yeah, weird. But so many folks were born after the 1950s and do not really know about life under the authoritarian fascists, Hitler, Mussolini and others. Countless millions killed. and destruction. The US under Roosevelt did not assist the Spanish Republic against the right wing Spanish military and Hitler. MTG is right! Pres. Biden is finishing FDRs work. “But he is sooo old.”
History didn't end in 1945, or 1991 for that matter.
Nor does America's actions during WWII or the Cold War give America a permanent license to play Global Gorilla Bully Cop and World Hegemon
The Ukraine is trying to survive. The bully in this case is the unhinged Putin, and his gang like Prigozhin and admirers like Trump.
If Ukraine wanted to survive, they should have adhered to the Minsk Accord, which Ukraine promptly broke, or Minsk-2..
Nor does that have anything to with America's supposed defense of democracy.
The macroeconomic implications of peculiarly outsized US military spending are underexplored. The stimulative effects of military spending in the services and manufacturing sectors are likely muted by high transaction costs (AKA, procurement bureaucracy and set-aside politics) and the unique character of current military capabilities (AKA, virtually no civil economic use cases for munitions, aircraft carriers, stealth fighters, or most military helicopters, or even civil adaptation of associated production capabilities). Meanwhile, a significant proportion of US defense spending flows directly into foreign hands via engagement of local foreign providers for unsexy but vital support services for overseas operations. For example, a significant proportion of the trillions in US spending on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan--fuel for vehicles, aircraft, and electric generators; food, housing, and laundry for troops; transport, construction, and maintenance services--flowed straight into the network of regional, foreign-owned and -operated subcontractors on which the big US defense companies depend. In short, the American public is isolated from its military socially as well as economically.
Nice review.
Sailors have the waterline as a dividing element, while the space is truly tri-dimensional, with gravity as the most important factor to consider.
Also, maybe it would have been useful to peek at what is presently happening in Israel to give a warning for the unraveling of US society and its military - the letter of several hundreds of Israeli pilots to their government comes to mind....
Really well written on the Space Force. To add a concurring point(and a slight nitpick) Peterson Air Force Base and Shriever Air Force Base were both renamed Peterson and Shriever Space Force Base two years ago now. The branch has totally dropped the ball on putting itself out there, and the inability of the service to effectively make the case that they and their mission set is a serious deal is damaging to the support they need
With such friends, the military needs no enemies
The biggest flaw in the second opinion poll noted here is that it only includes democrats and Republicans. Where does that leave the Independents, who make up the plurality (42%) of voters?
https://news.gallup.com/poll/388781/political-party-preferences-shifted-greatly-during-2021.aspx#:~:text=Overall%20in%202021%2C%20an%20average,the%20Republican%20Party%20(16%25).
Democrats and Republicans
Incredible read, well done. And thank you!
Seper supra, already a classic