The Greatest Military On Earth?

Politics International Politics
1

The Greatest Military On Earth? Is it…

  • Comptetent
  • Incompetent
  • Over-rated
  • Well-equipped But Hamstrung By Idiotic Civilian Leaders
  • Excellent - Can Do Wrong

0 voters

With the recent change in top bods surrounding Adolf Bush, we have heard eulogies from Donald Bumsfield et al regarding the U.S. miltary, namely it being “the greatest military on earth” and suchlike. But is it?

This is incomplete (and I expect that that will be quoted followed by a wisecrack) but looking back at the U.S. military’s achievements over the last 100 years, there isn’t much that they have done on their own.

WWI - Late arrivals, made contribution to victory over Germany
WWII - Again, late arrivals, made significant contribution to Allied victory over the Axis powers
Korea - Jumped in for the UN and slogged out a draw
Vietnam - Lost and left in ignominious fashion
Grenada - Ousted a few Cuban construction workers. Big deal.
Iraq I - With a lot of help from a genuine coalition, pulled back with job incomplete.
Panama - Got Noriega but U.S. troops were already there
Somalia - Dumped a few bags of rice in full media glare, got squeamish and left.
The Balkans - Few bombs from the air and er…some peacekeeping.
Afghanistan - Bombing helped the Northern Alliance oust the Taleban
Iraq II - Widely regarded as being lost. Looking for more dignified exit than Vietnam

I can’t help thinking when I hear U.S. politicos and military types go on about how marvellous the U.S. military is, that something is missing. It just seems that all this praise for the “men and women” in uniform is hyperbole and that the U.S. military, for all her exceptional equipment, really isn’t as good as the army acolytes make them out to be.

BroonAssesses

2

Fishing without a license again?

3

Imagine how you’d hate us if we WON all the recent ones outright! Being semi-competent has its good points.

It’s the media’s fault. Need a two week time delay on war coverage and things will be different for sure. :smiley:

jdsniper

4

Clearly I don’t have the wealth of special ops/catering corps experience that you do but looking back, the record of the U.S. military in recent times hasn’t exactly been one of comprehensive military victory has it?

It seems to be sent in to partake of one screw-up after another, unless one takes the Serbian view that losing is glorious.

BroonAngler

5

True, but is this the MILITARY’s problem?

The problem seems to be in using the overwhleming force that the US possesses. Shaking a stick at people only works at the beginning.

War is being ruined by an excess of candy-assed diplomacy.

jdsneers

6

But you do cut such a dashing figure.

TC farting in a general direction

7

But you do cut such a dashing figure.[/quote]

Being drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.

BroonAreYouBeingServed

8

True, but is this the MILITARY’s problem?

The problem seems to be in using the overwhleming force that the US possesses. Shaking a stick at people only works at the beginning.

War is being ruined by an excess of candy-assed diplomacy.

jdsneers[/quote]

Indeed. One has to assume that the overall political / military establishment in the United States suffers from a dearth of intelligence at every level leading to one calamity after another.

Compare the level of competence between the British in Sierra Leone and the U.S. media circus that was “Somolia” in the 1990’s. The Brits brought stability to Sierra Leone with minimum fuss. The American military seems to suffer from pre-conflict hubris somewhat. Red rag to a bull in the eyes of the enemy. Arrogant but essentially lacking strategic foresight.

BroonAnbar

9

But the jewel in the crown, Scotland, remains!!

10

[quote=“Grace Slick”]Well, we could document the long list of British achievements in the 20th Century (if giving things back and losing fights until the US rescues them is considered an achievement).

WW1–While poncey British generals drink tea and eat scones in their tents, Canadian, Australian, and other colonials do most of the fighting.

WW2–Britain and democracy in general is saved by the United States (hopeless British troops let Singapore, Malaya, and Burma fall into Japanese hands with hardly a fight at all).

1946-54–British withdrawal from India, Egypt, Sudan.

1956–Suez Crisis (where US laws down the law with Britain, France etc.

1957–Gold Coast becomes independent Ghana; Malay states become independent

1958–British Somaliland and Nigeria become Independent; end of Malayan emergency.

1961 —Sierra Leone, Tanganyika and British Cameroons become independent; South Africa leaves Commonwealth.

1962–Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Western Samoa all become independent.

1963 --Kenya and Zanzibar become independent

1964 --Northern Rhodesia becomes Zambia; Nyasaland becomes independent Malawi; Malta becomes independent

1966 --Botswana, Lesotho and Gambia all gain independence

1967 --Aden independence

1968 --Mauritius and Swaziland gain Independence

1970 --Fiji and Tongan Independence

1975 —Papua New Guinea gains Independence

1976 --Seychelles Independent

1978 --Dominica Independent

1980 —New Hebrides becomes Independent Vanunu; Zimbabwean Independence.

1982 —Falkland war (with tracking assistance heheheh)

1997–Hong Kong handed back to Chinese[/quote]

Nothing wrong with respecting the indigenous populations’ desire to manage their own affairs. Though an interesting list, an erroneous comparison. As for the 1982 tracking assistance - thanks for that. Hope the Yanks are enjoying their stay on Ascension Island (ours).

BroonAtlantic

11

For now. That attempt to detract from your military & political establishment’s own uselessness won’t work.

Feeble. You can do better than that. Look at TC for an example of what the military mind comes up with.

BroonAside

12

[quote=“BroonAle”]
Indeed. One has to assume that the overall political / military establishment in the United States suffers from a dearth of intelligence at every level leading to one calamity after another.

Compare the level of competence between the British in Sierra Leone and the U.S. media circus that was “Somolia” in the 1990’s. The Brits brought stability to Sierra Leone with minimum fuss. The American military seems to suffer from pre-conflict hubris somewhat. Red rag to a bull in the eyes of the enemy. Arrogant but essentially lacking strategic foresight.

BroonAnbar[/quote]

Arrogance in the preconflict stage is not a bad thing. Think of a bouncer who stands outside the club with his arms tightly folded, looking tough. Arrogant, yet clear in the message that “Tom Foolerly will not be tolerated.”

The strategic foresight…hmmmm, maybe, yet it seems to me that war has changed and these are the stupid new rules, the “Nice war,” the “humane war,” and I think it’s crap.

Can’t we just hate the hell out of the other guy and use his guts as a lasso to rope in and strangle the spirit of his hellbound people?

Say “NO!” to the Jabonian War! :wink:

13

For now. That attempt to detract from your military & poloitical establishment’s own uselessness won’t work.

Feeble. You can do better than that. Look at TC for an example of what the military mind comes up with.

BroonAside[/quote]

Now now, I saw on CNN a report about Iraqi Christians, and in the video the girl opened her fridge to get some milk. Now who, if not the USA is responsible for getting the power back on to cool the prescious milk after we blow up all the transformers and the power plants?

Clearly they are useful…in a roundabout way. :unamused: :smiley:

14

TC farting in a general direction[/quote]

Thanks for clarifying your 11 years of military experience. I apologise for hinting that you might have only served in the catering corps. I had no idea that prior to subjecting Forumosans to it you let rip on hapless Vietnamese with your gas.

BroonAgentOrange

15

It is just a shame that most of the roads leading to and from roundabouts are too dangerous for most.

One fridge. Makes it all worthwhile eh? Nice timing on the part of CNN to get her to open the fridge during the limited time that power is on. How do you know that fridge wasn’t being powered by a generator?

Doesn’t matter how glib you choose to be. The U.S. severely dropped the ball in Iraq; not for the first time in the last 40 years either. Slow learners aren’t you?

BroonAmpere

P.S. I apologise for the typos in JDSmith’s quote of my post

16

Yawn, yes, we should actually try and perfect our system of war so zat no one vill prevail against uz. Yez, zat is vhat ve should do.

or not. :sunglasses:

Maybe, JUST maybe, the USA has no English or German or Japanese or Roman dreams of taking over the world and our spirit is just not so drawn by “honor” and “fate” that winning so decisively that the enemy is ground into mist and the world trembles at our feet isn’t a goal of ours.

Maybe we just wanna, you know, be? :sunglasses:

Are you still mad that John Lennon moved to NYC? Look we’re sorry about that. Ask the FBI, we TRIED to boot his ass back to you, or at least away from us.

17

[quote=“jdsmith”]Arrogance in the preconflict stage is not a bad thing. Think of a bouncer who stands outside the club with his arms tightly folded, looking tough. Arrogant, yet clear in the message that “Tom Foolerly will not be tolerated.”

[/quote]

The problem for the club of course arises when that arrogant stance’s bluff is called and the bouncer gets the shit kicked out of him. Bit difficult to take the bouncer seriously after that and all hell breaks loose inside the club. This is analogous to the contribution your glorious serving men and women and the idiots who sent them there have made in Iraq and has compounded the increasing lack of respect your country now (sadly) enjoys.

Each time the U.S. government or military puffs up his chest, the rest of the world now scoffs at you with derision…“yeah, yeah, scary. Haha. Seen that before. Just a matter of time before they lose.”

You scoff (word for the day) at Jaboneyism (and it is a little bit high brow and prissy) but more circumspection and less of the gung-ho crap might just help you repeal the mockery your military deserves for its incompetence.

BroonAnalogy

18

Rubbish.

BroonAssails

19

Yeah, but losing at YOUR house and losing at MY house are very different things right? I’ll give that point to the “idiots” who control the military. AT LEAST they don’t bring it to our own shores.

If you can’t be gung ho about a war, what the hell CAN you be gung ho about? NOT being gung ho about the war(s) has led you to feel the US military is less than competent, and we need your support.

20

[quote=“BroonAle”]

Rubbish.

BroonAssails[/quote]

Really? Then why didn’t the US take over China as well as Japan after WWII? We took Guam, but not China?? Why is that?

Seems to me the last time the USA stuck a flag in the ground and called “Mine!” we were on the Moon. And why is the flag on uniforms backwards?