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The Next War

since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
After years of fighting insurgencies, the Army pivots to training for a major war

“We have a bad habit of not being able to stop the pendulum in the middle,” said retired Col. Joe Collins, a professor at the National War College.

That's not a bad thing, Col Collins. It allows different generations of military professionals to focus on different types of conflict. When an actual conflict comes, whoever's most expert will train the others.

What I'd rather see, however, are members of the military proficient at all types of conflict. When I got into B-52s in the early 1990s, I became proficient in SIOP (nukes), but within two years we were just as proficient dropping munitions in conventional conflicts.

Our military needs to be ready for anything. The more prepared they are to not only win, but absolutely decimate any opponent, the less likely they are to find themselves in such a conflict.

OCDO: What do you believe OUR role will be in the next war? How will our Second Amendment rights play a role? Do you think the antis will finally grow a brain and jump on board, or will they impede the war effort back here on the home front?
 

HP995

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2012
Messages
730
Location
MO, USA
The military shift to restoring standoff and serious near-peer capabilities is wonderful; it's like someone suicidal or drunk (or just asleep) deciding to get their life back together. Five years ago we were in huge danger in military and industry trends, but no one dared speak its name, and many of our capabilities were falling short and falling behind. Now we hear about Russia and China all the time and there are serious efforts to address shortcomings and regain superiority. That makes me feel safer and I feel that the likely time frame for any major war is being pushed back by our current preparation. It's scary stuff, but much safer now to be on top of it than giving adversaries the previous 20 years to catch up.

I'd say the media's Russia fixation also backfired. Now they can't be quite so chummy with their old Soviet pals; doing so would destroy their own story about Trump. Nice.

But the next war - who knows. It will surprising in technology and tactics, tech is moving fast, and I hope the surprise is more in our favor and not the other way around. Vote accordingly....
 

since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
The military shift to restoring standoff and serious near-peer capabilities is wonderful; it's like someone suicidal or drunk (or just asleep) deciding to get their life back together. Five years ago we were in huge danger in military and industry trends, but no one dared speak its name, and many of our capabilities were falling short and falling behind. Now we hear about Russia and China all the time and there are serious efforts to address shortcomings and regain superiority. That makes me feel safer and I feel that the likely time frame for any major war is being pushed back by our current preparation. It's scary stuff, but much safer now to be on top of it than giving adversaries the previous 20 years to catch up.

I'd say the media's Russia fixation also backfired. Now they can't be quite so chummy with their old Soviet pals; doing so would destroy their own story about Trump. Nice.

But the next war - who knows. It will surprising in technology and tactics, tech is moving fast, and I hope the surprise is more in our favor and not the other way around. Vote accordingly....

Very well said, HP995. Two months into my first assignment at Fairchild, my radar navigator took me aside after I tried to skate on something by saying, "Well, it's close enough for government work." He admonished me by pointing out if we're consistently far more capable than the enemy, then perhaps we won't even have to fight the next battle.

You're absolutely correct: Military readiness is certainly about being fully ready to fight the next battle, but if you're so capable your enemy doesn't stand a chance, it ups the likelihood he'll work out issues on a diplomatic front.

And, yes, it's scary stuff. Great point about the media getting caught in its own web of deceit. :)
 

since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Si vis pacem, para bellum

If you want peace, prepare for war".

Well stated.

From Wikipedia:

"Si vis pacem, para bellum (Classical Latin: [siː wiːs ˈpaːkẽː ˈpara ˈbɛllũː]) is a Latin adage translated as "If you want peace, prepare for war". It is adapted from a statement found in Book 3 of Latin author Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus's tract De Re Militari (4th or 5th century AD), although the idea which it conveys also appears in earlier works such as Plato's Nomoi (Laws) and the Chinese Shi Ji. The phrase is used above all to affirm that one of the most effective means to ensure peace for a people is always to be armed and ready to defend oneself."

Indeed, this has been the cornerstone of military readiness for centuries.


If-You-Want-Peace-Prepare-For-War.jpg
 
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solus

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2013
Messages
9,315
Location
here nc
So, couple of critical queries:

1. Who benefits from the escalation(s) of the U.S. military might?
  • Young adults finding employment they might not have in their community(ies)
  • Military industrialist complexes around the world


2. What has been gained by the U.S. taking over the early Roman mentality, said by a non-military oriented Roman aristocratic of a dying civilization, which was expressed by FI and so boldly & colorfully reiterated by Since9?

3. What direct, citable freedom(s) have U.S. conflicts directly benefited this nation’s citizens?
  • World Wars?
  • Korean & Vietnam conflicts?
  • Middle East debacles [i mean really ~ Bush’s Iraq invasion - what was that about? WMD-laughable] [Another laughable situation ~ Afgan invasion, especially after the CCCP invaded in ‘78 and sulking out without making a change in anything!]

The adage has been articulated by our leaders, FDR, Kennedy, and Ronald, since this nation’s founding in many, many different ways and yet nothing is ever stated about how this build up is for the country’s citizens benefit, oh except by the Bush boy who strictly wanted to exact revenge, on the wrong country’s populations, but listened to daddy, and chaney and now we are 18years later still in the Middle East!

yes pray tell why we are espousing an olde latin metaphor stated by a non-militarily trained Roman aristocratic?

quote, A theory of mine...no occurrence is sole and solitary, but is merely a repetition of a thing which has happended before, and perhaps often. Unquote Twain.
 

CJ4wd

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2017
Messages
353
Location
Planet Earth
Solus, there is one point on which I have to disagree with you and that is the WMDs.
It was an established fact that Saddam gassed the Kurds in his efforts to "ethnically cleanse" Iraq. International monitors reported on this on multiple occasions and gathered evidence for future use at a war crimes trial.
Those chemicals used in those gas attacks don't take up that much space when in their liquid concentrate form. All it would take is a few 30-50 gallon drums that would fit in the back of a large pick-up or a small "cube" van (think UPS). And, with all that "empty desert", they could dig a trench and either bury the entire truck or just the barrels, all for "future use".
Or they could have snuck them across the border to Bashaar al-Assad (sp??) in Syria. After all, we know that Assaad also use chemical weapons against his own people. Where did HE get those chemical weapons?
 

solus

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2013
Messages
9,315
Location
here nc
Solus, there is one point on which I have to disagree with you and that is the WMDs.
It was an established fact that Saddam gassed the Kurds in his efforts to "ethnically cleanse" Iraq. International monitors reported on this on multiple occasions and gathered evidence for future use at a war crimes trial.
Those chemicals used in those gas attacks don't take up that much space when in their liquid concentrate form. All it would take is a few 30-50 gallon drums that would fit in the back of a large pick-up or a small "cube" van (think UPS). And, with all that "empty desert", they could dig a trench and either bury the entire truck or just the barrels, all for "future use".
Or they could have snuck them across the border to Bashaar al-Assad (sp??) in Syria. After all, we know that Assaad also use chemical weapons against his own people. Where did HE get those chemical weapons?

Alas, you are correct CJ4...late '80/early '90s the Dictator put in power by Daddy Bush did, but destroyed his chemical making complex and which was way before Son Bush declared an invasion which WMD were the reason for invading.

and Cheney, Rumsfeld, sonny bush lied to this nation's citizenry "... spent $2 trillion, thousands of lives. Obviously, it was a mistake. George Bush made a mistake. We can make mistakes. But that one was a beauty. We should have never been in Iraq. We have destabilized the Middle East."

Republicans do not talk about "...the subject of the WMDs that were not found after the invasion and occupation of secular-Baathist Iraq (all of the strands of intelligence, from Iraqi killer drones to mobile weapons labs to nuclear centrifuges fell apart after the occupation of the country and “exploitation” of its bases and facilities)."

"...All that was found by the U.S. Army Joint Captured Material Exploitation Group teams were some old, corroded, un-useable, “demilitarized” artillery shells rotting in the desert from the 1980s, a far cry from the active, threatening chemical, biological and even nuclear(!) WMD program...."

Speaking of WMD as we are...you might check but i believe you will discern since the development of nuclear devices,the true definition relates only to Nuclear Weaponry, period! that the politicians in shock and awe use the term to misuse it shouldn't mean we should.
 
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