U.S. military readiness for war, competitive edge worsening: officials

U.S. military readiness for war, competitive edge worsening: officials

The U.S. military's ability to stay ahead of technology advances by other countries and respond to multiple crises around the world is already in jeopardy and will get worse unless mandatory budget cuts are reversed, top U.S. officials warned on Saturday.

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert told Reuters the Navy would have to cut forces and reduce its ability to position ships around the world if lawmakers did not ease or reverse the cuts, which are due to resume in fiscal 2016.

"Electronic warfare, electronic attack, anti-submarine warfare - all of these higher end areas - will fall further behind because we’re just not investing in them," he said in an interview at a conference at the Reagan Presidential Library.

He said the Navy's ability to stay ahead of potential adversaries would "degrade significantly" unless the cuts ended.

We spend more then most of the world combined and that's not enough??? Maybe we could save some money if we weren't going around fighting wars that is not ours to fight. Instead of having our ships positioned all around the world why not have them just patrol our shores. This welfare for the war machine needs to stop.

a reply to: buster2010

We spend more than anyone but we waste a lot of money due to the defense contractors having no real oversight. This is compounded by how much we've spent on ammunition and other supplies for our many pointless wars.

The US competitive edge for anything is worsening. Has a lot to do with our education system (upon which we spend way more than other countries too) but mostly has to do with "the kim kardashian" phenomenon. When we started worshipping glamour, physical beauty, sports prowess, wealth - as usually happens with "well to do" societies - the basics get eroded.

Not that our competitive edge in military might is/was anything to be excited about.

History - wash, rinse, repeat.

Education. The U.S became the superpower it was because it's students were #1 in almost every subject for decades. That is no longer the case, and it has almost become a 3rd world country when it comes to education. It's public school system is in shambles, and it's fairly difficult to maintain a cutting edge military force without scientists to lead the way. This is why China is currently making inroads in defense technology and flexing it's muscles in the field of ICBM technology.

The U.S is still the biggest dog in the yard when it comes to sheer military prowess, but it will be overcome in the future if Americans don't start taking the startling decline in their own educational standards seriously, and putting their children (and their educations) first.

ETA: Looks like the poster above me basically beat me to it. What He/She said.

Money is proportional to competitive edge, reduce the funding and the competitive edge reduces.

The U.S. can bring all of its troops home. Let the cookies crumble as they will elsewhere.
No other country wants to try to invade us in a hostile manner. They know they will get their ass kicked and thrown in the ditch.

When was the last time that our military actually. defended the states? Instead of being the invadeing or occuping force.? If we had them here to protect our borders we wouldn't have anything to worry about.
But they wont be happy untill they break the bank and we there isnt anything left to defend.

a reply to: buster2010

I think what has been said is code for "We must go forth and take over the world now"

You always hear this when there are cuts for the military.

originally posted by: DeadSeraph
Education. The U.S became the superpower it was because it's students were #1 in almost every subject for decades. That is no longer the case, and it has almost become a 3rd world country when it comes to education. It's public school system is in shambles, and it's fairly difficult to maintain a cutting edge military force without scientists to lead the way. This is why China is currently making inroads in defense technology and flexing it's muscles in the field of ICBM technology.

The U.S is still the biggest dog in the yard when it comes to sheer military prowess, but it will be overcome in the future if Americans don't start taking the startling decline in their own educational standards seriously, and putting their children (and their educations) first.

ETA: Looks like the poster above me basically beat me to it. What He/She said.

You and Maluhia is right our failing educational system is the reason for this happening. Whether people like it or not America needs to start investing in our people again by having a free higher education like grade school and high school. The skyrocketing cost of college nowadays is one of the reasons why kids aren't going to college because for most of them it's a good fifteen to twenty years of debt. In a couple of decades college will be the playground only the wealthy will be able to attend.

If history has taught us one thing it`s that you don`t have to have the biggest and best to win a war.

The revolutionary War
The brits had better training and better weapons but they lost

The civil War

the confederates made ironclad ships and an operational submarine, but they lost

World War 2

the germans had a lot of new tech biggest,fastest and baddest war toys but they lost


In each of those wars the higher tech side lost because they were overwhelmed by shear numbers.

an ant is no match for an elephant but 10,000 ants can devour an entire elephant one bite at a time.

We have never been at war with Eurasia.

We have always been at war with Eurasia.

originally posted by: FlyingFox
We have never been at war with Eurasia.

We have always been at war with Eurasia.

indeed..."how many fingers am i holding up winston ?"

it is amazing how war is so common ...we have all this tech and think of ourselves as modern and enlightened and yet we war and think like we did a thousand years ago...we are pretty dumb for a smart species

a reply to: buster2010

We do not spend a whole lot compared to our GDP, and cutting edge always costs more.