Why do they call it "Department of DEFENSE" ?

Why isn't it called "Department of OFFENSE"?

It seems to me that almost all US military action is overseas, hardly in "Defense of The Realm".

Most US military action is taken under the guise of "we need to do this for National Security purposes" but in reality, most military action taken is Offensive in nature, not defensive.

I know the old adage "the best defence is a good offense" but really, why not just call it like it is?

reply to post by babybunnies

While the Department of Defense DOES play on the offensive.
It does a lot for the defense of our country as well.
I don't agree with EVERYTHING the military does but imagine our country without a defense.
I wouldn't want to live in a country that couldn't defend itself.

Originally posted by babybunnies
Why isn't it called "Department of OFFENSE"?

It seems to me that almost all US military action is overseas, hardly in "Defense of The Realm".

Most US military action is taken under the guise of "we need to do this for National Security purposes" but in reality, most military action taken is Offensive in nature, not defensive.

I know the old adage "the best defence is a good offense" but really, why not just call it like it is?

because we tend to go to war in the defense of our own country, and most of our military is reserved for our defense when not at war.

Probably the same reason whey in the US we have Air Force Bases, while outside the US they are just Air Bases.

Our military may take your comments as having offensive intentions. They might try to defend themselves.

Originally posted by rickymouse
Our military may take your comments as having offensive intentions. They might try to defend themselves.

with nuclear missiles i bet!

Originally posted by demongoat

Originally posted by babybunnies
Why isn't it called "Department of OFFENSE"?

It seems to me that almost all US military action is overseas, hardly in "Defense of The Realm".

Most US military action is taken under the guise of "we need to do this for National Security purposes" but in reality, most military action taken is Offensive in nature, not defensive.

I know the old adage "the best defence is a good offense" but really, why not just call it like it is?

because we tend to go to war in the defense of our own country, and most of our military is reserved for our defense when not at war.

Please show me a time when the US military, based in the United States, defended the United States from a foreign attack.

The US military has been used inside the United States primarily to deal with US population issues and uprisings, never in defense of the country from a foreign invader.

The only times the US were actually attacked in the last 100 years, (Pearl Harbor and 9/11), the US military were woefully inadequate in defense of the United States. The Cuban missile crisis was resolved by back channel politicians, not through a show of military defense.

reply to post by babybunnies


Up until 1949 it was the War Department.

Truman, in an effort to unify the varying departments after WWII, established a Secretary of Defense who would subsequently oversee the Department of Defense.

Likely a PR type move, as we were heading into the Cold War and anti-communism was high.

Department of Defense to defend against communist Russia.
Department of Homeland Security to secure the homeland against terrorists.

Originally posted by GmoS719
reply to post by babybunnies

 

While the Department of Defense DOES play on the offensive.
It does a lot for the defense of our country as well.
I don't agree with EVERYTHING the military does but imagine our country without a defense.
I wouldn't want to live in a country that couldn't defend itself.

Dont you already live in that country??? The U.S. couldn't defend itself on 9-11. Where was the D-Fense (clap, clap, clap) that day?

We should call these departments what they really are. The Department of Defense should revert back to the War Department. The Department of Homeland Security??? Well those guys we can call The Geheime Staatspolizei (German for Secret State Police, abbreviated “Gestapo”).

reply to post by nahahh

Sure we could if our forces weren't ordered to stand down, our leadership wasn't compromised and money hadn't ruled our politicians.
That would have been our covert protective elements.Usually you never see it.Do you really think there have been no attempts to hit the US with WMDs?,or further attacks?

reply to post by babybunnies


Because our govt and military functions much like the Sith, insidious and duplicitous. TPTB managed to seize control this nation with maneuvers like this. Like someone posted above, changing it from the War Department. The National Security Agency...uses words like National and Security. Could anyone think of anything more ironic and disingenuous? It's a play on words to deceive us. Department of Homeland Security...translation "We own you, your property, and there's nothing you can do about it." Department of Defense, Central Intelligence, Defense Intelligence, all of these agencies and their agendas depend on our ignorance and feelings of well-being.

Probably changed like how the War on Terror was renamed to Man Caused Disasters.

Second.

Because Americans never learned to spell properly?
All Brits know it should be DEFENCE!

it was once called the Department of War.

and the civilian that ran it was called the Secretary of War.

i think its an attempt at image management.

but people are idiots and don't realize people are pulling their punches and trying to be nice.

only after their homes have been turned into a crater so big that it can be seen from space do they think they should manage their behavior and watch their mouths.

Originally posted by links234
reply to post by babybunnies

 

Up until 1949 it was the War Department.

Truman, in an effort to unify the varying departments after WWII, established a Secretary of Defense who would subsequently oversee the Department of Defense.

Likely a PR type move, as we were heading into the Cold War and anti-communism was high.

Department of Defense to defend against communist Russia.
Department of Homeland Security to secure the homeland against terrorists.

This was Truman's post-war American government merger plan. His actions are like the CEO of a corporation.

Originally posted by starchild10
Because Americans never learned to spell properly?
All Brits know it should be DEFENCE!

lol - I'm actually a Brit, living in Canada, who would spell it DEFENCE. I was pandering to my expected audience !

Two articles from the same newspaper, same day, same page, and this article is positioned adjacently to the Truman-merger article I posted above. Notice how the articles are both written to address the same topic from different perspectives.

On one side there is the article about Truman's military merger "unification plan" while the other article is written by a news pundit about the post-war syndrome of corporate control of the economy.




See the original newspaper pages here:

news.google.com...,3956294&dq=secretary+of+war+truman&hl=en

Originally posted by nahahh

Originally posted by GmoS719
reply to post by babybunnies

 

While the Department of Defense DOES play on the offensive.
It does a lot for the defense of our country as well.
I don't agree with EVERYTHING the military does but imagine our country without a defense.
I wouldn't want to live in a country that couldn't defend itself.

Dont you already live in that country??? The U.S. couldn't defend itself on 9-11. Where was the D-Fense (clap, clap, clap) that day?

This is what I've been wondering. ThE USA couldn't defend itself on 9/11, or when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and these have been the only two instances on US being attacked on their own soil in the last 100 years.

The USA spends more on its military than the next five largest military spending nations combined, and couldn't defend themselves from three - five (depending on who you talk to) CIVILIAN airplanes, the only time the mainland has been attacked by a foreign force? The planes that WERE bought down on 9-11 weren't bought down by military action, but by the action of CIVILIANS on board those very planes.

And the reason given for such a massive presence of their own military inside their own borders is "national defense"?

And the average American accepts this explanation? WOW.

Originally posted by babybunnies

Originally posted by starchild10
Because Americans never learned to spell properly?
All Brits know it should be DEFENCE!

lol - I'm actually a Brit, living in Canada, who would spell it DEFENCE. I was pandering to my expected audience !

Damn Brits! Spelling Snobs!
Regardless, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather do 2 things with: Drinking and Fighting!