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US War Machine Downsizing?

Posted by Unknown on from the how-will-we-defeat-zombie-stalin-now? dept.

mrspoonsi writes "BBC Reports: 'Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has unveiled plans to shrink the U.S. Army to its smallest size since before World War Two. Outlining his budget plan, the Pentagon chief proposed trimming the active-duty Army to between 440,000 and 450,000 personnel — from 520,000 currently. The U.S. currently spends more on defense than the combined total of the next 12 countries, as ranked by defense spending.'"

13 of 506 comments (clear)

  1. Drone Occupation by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Of Planet Earth is near completion.

    The rest can be sub-contracted.

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
    1. Re:Drone Occupation by rmdingler · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Sigh! Mechanization kills another American job.

      Before you know it, well be able to fight a complete war without risking a single soldier.

      Since the bar for invasion of another sovereign state is already set fairly low, what future transgression will be enough when no dead heroes need to return home? Iran looked at me funny!

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

    2. Re:Drone Occupation by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The drone pilots at Nellis (Las Vegas) end up with PTSD like field soldiers do.

      While true, that is only because the screening program for that job weeds out abnormal people. Normal people simply don't want to kill other people, either in person or via remote control.

      However, such people do exist... Once the military figures out that they can get socially maladjusted people to fly the drones, they'll have no problems, because such people couldn't care less about killing "ragheads" or whoever the "bad guy of the week" happens to be.

    3. Re:Drone Occupation by Immerman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Actually I've heard the PTSD can be even worse - the human brain is apparently not that well suited to killing people 8-to-5 and then going home to the wife and kids who can't relate at all.

      On the other hand fully autonomous killing machines are currently being field-tested, and especially when there are no friendlies on the ground I fully such things to be deployed in a big way within a decade or two. And then we'll see just how ugly and expansionist the US war machine can really be.

      Fully autonomous programmer-drones on the other hand I don't expect to see any time soon.

      --
      --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
    4. Re:Drone Occupation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ...while we have a drone blow up a car carrying a US Citizen because he's a suspected terrorist sympathizer ...

      There isn't much real doubt about Anwar al-Awlaki .

      Leaving aside this US citizen's extrajudicial execution (which his family repeatedly attempted to have the federal courts address before he was killed), I am presuming you felt his teenage son was worthy of the killing that was administered to him too?

      "Let's start killing people without trial, who haven't even killed anyone themselves. And then let's not get worked up when we kill US citizen minors, either," said no one reasonable.

  2. Time to end the military industrial complex by litehacksaur111 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As Eisenhower warned in his farewell address, I hope this news means we have finally heeded his warning and are moving towards dismantling the military industrial complex. All of that money could be used to rebuild the crumbling infrastructure we have right here at home.

    1. Re:Time to end the military industrial complex by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I hope this news means we have finally heeded his warning and are moving towards dismantling the military industrial complex.

      No. That is not what is happening. Almost all the proposed reductions are to fighting troops. Almost no cuts are to the bloated defense bureaucracy that make up the core of the MIC's revolving door. Hagel wants to reduce the muscle while protecting the belly fat. He is going about it all wrong anyway. Rather than trimming a little here, and a little there, it would be much better to completely eliminate a few big misguided programs. Killing the trillion dollar F-35 boondoggle would be a great place to start.

    2. Re:Time to end the military industrial complex by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Did you mean JSF, not JSOC?

      The A-10 is on the chopping block, as is the U2. What I don't get about the elimination of those is that one has proven itself extremely cost-effective in close-quarters ground support (as in using bullets, rather than relying on rockets and bombs) and extremely durable when taking fire (flying back with a wing missing) and the other has been extremely effective for quick-turnaround intelligence.

      Both programs are effective in the kind of engagements that we've found ourselves in during the last couple of decades and both are paid for. It's maintenance only, as opposed to development.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    3. Re:Time to end the military industrial complex by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Then again, he's getting rid of the A-10 also.

      The A-10 was bought and paid for decades ago, so that is not a big savings.

      Number of times we have need air-to-ground support, like the A-10 delivers, in the last two decades: tens of thousands.
      Number of times we we have need an air superiority fighter, like the F-35, in the last two decades: 0.

      Of course, the F-35 can do close air support, but it does it no better than the A-10, despite costing far, far, more to build, operate, and maintain.

    4. Re:Time to end the military industrial complex by hibiki_r · · Score: 5, Funny

      We could solve that problem, and have major savings by replacing medicare with a 'free meth and oxycodone' program.

    5. Re:Time to end the military industrial complex by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 5, Interesting
      The Army and Air Force need to be merged and the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines need to be merged. The overlap there is just nuts, tons of overhead, procurement programs, command structure, etc...

      So you'd be left with an Army who does everything on land and a Navy who does everything at sea (and does landings on coasts, then hands off to the Army at about the 15 mile point inland).

  3. How could Iran look at you funny? They're dead. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We attacked last week over a EULA violation.

  4. The Army could stand to be downsized... by Taelron · · Score: 5, Interesting
    The Marine Corps handles 90 to 95% of all "Peace Time" military actions while subsisting on the hand-me downs from the other branches and a paltry 3% of the Defense Budget. Navy Seal teams get more money for training ammo than the entire Marine Corps.

    At the beginning of the 1st Gulf War, the Marines were just getting the M1 Abrahms tanks the Army was swapping out for newer models (before that the Marines were still on old M60 tanks).

    In the late 90's (97-98) the Marines were just starting to get the venerable Singars radios. Up till then they were still using post-Vietnam era AN/PRC-77 radios.

    Time and time again the Army goes and asks for more men and money, new gear, etc, because they state they cant accomplish the mission with what they have.

    And time and time again the Marine Corps happily takes that "old outdated" equipment with fewer men and exceed... There has long been a rivalry between the branches, but maybe its time for the other branches to take a page out of the Corps manual and learn how to do more with less. You could drop military spending by half at least, if not more, by following the Marines lead.