I strongly disagree. Our entire strategy as an armed force is centered around force projection. We have bases in more than 70 countries and we have a number of carrier fleets and incredible logistics capabilities that allow us to project force almost anywhere in the world.
Obviously we can't know for sure what a world without a large American military would be like, but a big goal of that force projection is to reduce the chance of major conflict from bad actors.
Nuclear deterrents and the United States' military dominance have done a fairly good job of keeping peace in large parts of the world. Russia attacking Ukraine is the first major war in Europe in decades.
Agreed a bit, there is definitely elements of instutitional self preservation for its own sake. And certainly the defense contractors are scared to have less of their main client.
But getting rid of this "world police" "free world" bullshit will still help a lot. Consider, right now the US military budget is bound to balloon some more because of this war, without us doing any fighting. Military Keynesianism --- chest puffing handshake.
Finally, if are allies can defend themselves, they will have more spine to call out our bullshit with things like Iraq.
> Consider, right now the US military budget is bound to balloon some more because of this war, without us doing any fighting. Military Keynesianism --- chest puffing handshake.
We are sending actual weapons and machinery, which need to be replaced by new weapons off the factory line. One Javelin missile costs $175k.
"In less than a week, the United States and NATO have pushed more than 17,000 antitank weapons, including Javelin missiles, over the borders of Poland and Romania, unloading them from giant military cargo planes so they can make the trip by land to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and other major cities."
Anti tank and anti air weapons are so cheap compared to the things they destroy. If shifting the balance of power against Russia is a goal, that is money well spent
I wonder what would finally cause the US Dollar to finally collapse? Would it be China somehow? Either way, the only thing propping up this machine is the fact that the US dollar still means something. What would the world look like post-US?
I noticed that recently my local dollar store has now become the 1.25$ store. This can't bode well for the future...maybe we are experiencing the fall right now. You wouldn't really know until after the fact.
Pretty much every fiat currency experiences inflation. That's not a serious problem as long as it remains below hyperinflation levels.
The US Dollar can only collapse if the federal government defaults on its debts, or institutes currency controls which make it no longer convertible. The government only accepts tax payments in Dollars, so anyone subject to US taxes has no choice but to hold some Dollars.
I used to think that but now I think it is far more. Countries where we have bases essentially become vassal states, reliant on us for protection. This means we get favorable trade agreements as well as the opportunity to shape the world to our needs. It allows the US to exert massive influence over the course of world events and allows for the perpetuation of the US as the worlds top economic power.
I agree that the US military is huge and expensive, but that doesn't address 'military need,' which is a question of which missions are worth funding and what the requirements are for each.
If your goals are just coastal defense and prevention of invasion from Canada and Mexico, then that's significantly easier. Those aren't the US goals and haven't been for a long time. And it seems to be overwhelmingly the case that any potential defense partner for the US (aligned interests, not judged to be themselves a threat) can successfully pass off military spending to the US.
I agree completely. I think I am making more of a point about the "tail wagging the dog" in the US military strategy you mention.
We have created economic dependencies on our vast military spending. At a fundamental level, the $1 trillion spent on defense ends up in the hands of US service members and defense contractors. They spend that money back in the US economy.
When viewed from that (cynical?) perspective, it isn't surprising that the military's spending and scope grow year after year.
Our military's size and capabilities seem to be more a function of job-creation, rather than actual military need.