@tngjstn
Also you lost to a bunch of rice farmers and are losing in the Middle East, so advanced weapons don’t mean shit.
Wow. Never heard that one before.
But seriously. Despite cuts in both budget and manpower, the entire United States Armed Forces is
still the most powerful fighting force on the planet, and is so far ahead of its contemporaries that it’s not even worth mentioning who is in 2nd place. China and Russia? Capable of regional influence and messing with their neighbors, but aside from their nuclear forces (which are only good for deterrence) they have next to no power projection capability. Think aircraft carriers, global logistics, midair refueling, FOBs located either in or close to every potential hotspot, etc. U.S. political leaders are very reluctant to unleash the full force of American military might because there are literally very few situations that would justify it, and doing so without this justification would have tremendous political consequences.
What this does mean, however, is the United States finds itself bogged down in long-duration, low intensity conflicts where not being able to use overwhelming force to end things quickly means being bogged down and taking long term losses in manpower and equipment that also affect troop morale and public opinion.
Also, this isn’t the politics thread. If you want to preach on your soapbox like you’re Harrison Bergeron,
go to Tartarus.