The sinews of war are infinite money - Marcus Tullius Cicero
The US used to be full of men who were ideal to the ways of war, and the only thing that could hold the US military back was a lack of funding or good military technology.
The problem with the US military TODAY is not its' lack of funding or sophisticated weaponry, but the lack of good citizens, and therefore the lack of effective fighting men available to them. The rest of the world (most Western European countries, most Asian countries, most South American countries, and most Eastern European countries, and many African countries) has no shortage of able bodied and minded men who have been raised in a culture that produces good citizens and good soldiers.
The sinews of war are not gold, but good soldiers - Niccolò Machiavelli
It will be the countries who have both the good citizens/soldiers AND the economy to support large scale organized warfare that will shape the future of the world. Wealthy countries with no means of guarding their wealth will simply be juicy prizes for those countries who have BOTH the elements needed to be great. The US will simply be a fatted duck for Russia, China, India, the EU, etc to fight over.
That is my take on the military situation of the US. The world always tends toward disorder, and the longer countries exist, the more corrupt they will become. The more corrupt countries are, the larger a chance for war. If history has shown one thing, it is that humans will ALWAYS go to war with each other. Everytime they devise a way to avoid war through alliances, economic control, etc, it either backfires, or simply delays war a little. Countries not willing to fight will be swallowed up or brought under the direct control of those who are. Depressing? Sure, but that is human nature, and that is why it is important for yourself and your fellow citizen to be vigilant participants in your society to prevent this from happening, AND to be willing to fight if a war does happen. I guess that my point is that most US citizens do not have that will to fight for their country, their family, and their society. They are not proud of themselves, where they came from, or their country. Why would they give their lives after all? Their entire lifestyle is contrary to what makes a good soldier AND citizen.
Am I right? Am I being too harsh? Do I not have a good take on things? Have I just lost my mind? You tell me.
Concerning the great worries about the self defence capabilities of Europeans.
Originally Posted by HoreTore
However remember that the U.S. has an all volunteer Army while many of the other nations mentioned have mandatory military service/conscription. I'll take a volunteer over a conscript any day.
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