Quote from: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 15, 2014, 12:42:56 PM
We obviously have different views on what the main deterrent was.
The main deterrent was mutually assured destruction. But wars are always going to go conventional before they go nuclear. Having one huge ass technologically advanced standing military was a deterrent for going to war conventionally, and so they wouldn't be left in the dust technologically they spent just as much on researching and developing new hardware as we did. Does no good to field WWII era planes against cold war era jets. They had to keep up in the arms race.
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And personally when I hear about new recruits being made run laps until they are sick and keep going, that is what concerns me.
Running till your sick is literally the easiest thing you will ever do in the military.
I'd rather do that then take a defensive posture in the burning ass sun with you weapon trained in one area for hours upon hours because you think your about to get hit. 12 hrs in one position without the ability to move around or even take a leak. That physical training is to get you used to combat situations where your body is going to be forced into uncomfortable positions.
There are lots of civilians that don't like this. There are also lots of civilians who have never been in life threatening situations. All that redundant training becomes pretty nice when you think a truckload of Al-Shabaab are going to stop by your camp with VBIEDs and AK wielding hit squads.
Quote from: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 15, 2014, 01:23:12 PM
This "tragedy" would've never occurred had America not built up their army to a ridculous degree so that Bin Laden felt it was stepping on his toes.
I respect people who's intent is to go and seek out injustice and put an end to that, but considering the western world's own set of flaws especially America's in it's values, have no right to be the conduit through which this happens.
And as we've seen with Vietnam and the Gulf War you can't force it on people or they will reject you.
This to me is why soldiers today, die for nothing and I will not support that no-matter how justified you or anyone else thinks it is.
The last deaths that were justified from a military perspective was those of Nazi Soldiers/officals in WW2.
The Army was downsized when Osama declared his holy war on the US, it was nowhere near the size it is after he actually sent the first strike over. In times of non war the military downsizes its force to save on department of defense spending.
America didn't invade one of the poorest countries on the planet to spread American imperialism, they invaded it to stop a sworn enemy of the United States in Al Qaeda. The Taliban just got in the way when they wouldn't stop protecting him.
Its never a simple black and white. Just look at WWII when Russia was an ally. The Cold War where they were are most feared enemy. During the cold war the Mujhadeen were an ally against Russia for invading Afghanistan, and then elements of the Muj being the primary enemy we face today.
Its a complicated world we live in, not a simple black and white one.