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Will the US ever win another war?

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  • #61
    I would like to add my two cents.

    The OP seems to be referring to a "World War II" level of conflict.

    That type of conflict is no longer possible in the world today.

    Neither the U.S. nor any other nation on Earth has the stores of munitions,parts,fuel, or vast supplies of trained replacement personnel to wage an all out, large scale conventional war against a nearly equal opponent for years on end.

    Even during the height of the Cold War, an all out, conventional NATO/Warsaw Pact War would probably have been measured in weeks if not days.

    So in all likelihood, if the U.S. ever has to fight a "big war" again, it will probably be over before the American people turn against it.

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    • #62
      Originally posted by Dayton3 View Post
      That type of conflict is no longer possible in the world today.

      Neither the U.S. nor any other nation on Earth has the stores of munitions,parts,fuel, or vast supplies of trained replacement personnel to wage an all out, large scale conventional war against a nearly equal opponent for years on end.
      Sure nations can.

      You're trying to compare the end of World War 2 where you had several nations geared almost totally for war with a unipolar world with some other nations that are nearly evenly matched with larger economies (although not geared towards war).

      The question is one of relative strength, and when you have near parity, you have time for nations to ramp up to greater industrial output.
      "So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

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      • #63
        Originally posted by Shek View Post
        Sure nations can.

        You're trying to compare the end of World War 2 where you had several nations geared almost totally for war with a unipolar world with some other nations that are nearly evenly matched with larger economies (although not geared towards war).

        The question is one of relative strength, and when you have near parity, you have time for nations to ramp up to greater industrial output.
        Yup, plus the big military powers have huge reserves of trained manpower. Just a guess but the US alone probably transitions 100,000 or more people into the civilian sector each year. Go back 10 years and you've got an extra million men not on the books who only need refreshers. For equipment there are still huge reserves of cold war stocks of both ships and tanks and other big ticket items sitting in reserves or depots.

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        • #64
          Originally posted by zraver View Post
          Yup, plus the big military powers have huge reserves of trained manpower. Just a guess but the US alone probably transitions 100,000 or more people into the civilian sector each year. Go back 10 years and you've got an extra million men not on the books who only need refreshers. For equipment there are still huge reserves of cold war stocks of both ships and tanks and other big ticket items sitting in reserves or depots.
          I think "huge reserves" regarding the U.S. is an exaggeration.

          by the way, what part of Arkansas are you from? I live down near El Dorado right now though my home is western Arkansas (Howard County).

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          • #65
            Originally posted by Dayton3 View Post
            I think "huge reserves" regarding the U.S. is an exaggeration.

            by the way, what part of Arkansas are you from? I live down near El Dorado right now though my home is western Arkansas (Howard County).
            Just outside Conway.

            Why do you think the reserves are an exaggeration? Figure the US military turnover at what ever percentage you want so long as every 20 years equals 100% and that is how many people you add to a reserve pool per year.

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            • #66
              Originally posted by zraver View Post
              Just outside Conway.

              Why do you think the reserves are an exaggeration? Figure the US military turnover at what ever percentage you want so long as every 20 years equals 100% and that is how many people you add to a reserve pool per year.
              I was referring to the reserves of equipment mainly.

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              • #67
                Originally posted by Dayton3 View Post
                I was referring to the reserves of equipment mainly.
                The Army specifically maintains equipment for complete reserve mobilization where they just fall in on geostratically placed quipement. By the time folks of the inactive ready reserve (IRR) would need equipment to fall in on, it'd be rolling off the assembly line.
                "So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

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                • #68
                  Originally posted by Shek View Post
                  Sure nations can.

                  You're trying to compare the end of World War 2 where you had several nations geared almost totally for war with a unipolar world with some other nations that are nearly evenly matched with larger economies (although not geared towards war).

                  The question is one of relative strength, and when you have near parity, you have time for nations to ramp up to greater industrial output.
                  IIRC, German GDP was smaller than that of the the UK prior to the outbreak of World War I. It was up against the combined resources of France and Britain alone, not to mention the Eastern Front.
                  "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

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                  • #69
                    Originally posted by Ironduke View Post
                    IIRC, German GDP was smaller than that of the the UK prior to the outbreak of World War I. It was up against the combined resources of France and Britain alone, not to mention the Eastern Front.
                    Everyone was smaller than Britain economically until 1919 when the US officially surpassed it. But Germany did gain a rich part of France in 1914.

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                    • #70
                      Originally posted by zraver View Post
                      Everyone was smaller than Britain economically until 1919 when the US officially surpassed it. But Germany did gain a rich part of France in 1914.
                      Economically? Germany and the US had already a higher Gdp than the UK at the start of WWI. Clearly Britain was already on a downward trend before 1914. Its peak as an economic powerhouse would more likely be around 1880/1890's.

                      Industrialization progressed dynamically in Germany and German manufacturers began to capture domestic markets from British imports, and also to compete with British industry abroad, particularly in the United States. The German textiles and metal industries had by the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War surpassed those of Britain in organization and technical efficiency and usurped British manufacturers in the domestic market. Germany became the dominant economic power on the continent and was the second largest exporting nation after the US. By the turn of the century, the German metals and engineering industries would be producing heavily for the free trade market of Britain.
                      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Empire#Economy

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                      • #71
                        Originally posted by Oscar View Post
                        Economically? Germany and the US had already a higher Gdp than the UK at the start of WWI. Clearly Britain was already on a downward trend before 1914. Its peak as an economic powerhouse would more likely be around 1880/1890's.



                        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Empire#Economy
                        British Empire GDP in 1913 was $483 billion while German Empire was $ 251 billion in 1913, Czarist Russia was $257 billion. Being number 1 in exports doe snot mean they were number 1 in all the other economic areas.

                        http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:...&ct=clnk&gl=us

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                        • #72
                          oscar,

                          the UK had more money to blow, which is why in the end the UK won the dreadnought race. but germany had the manpower offset...which evaporated once the US got into the war.
                          There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

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                          • #73
                            Just outside Conway
                            [OFF TOPIC MODE ON]

                            Zraver,

                            I was in a jam and broke in Conway in 1998. Between the kindly assistance of the waitresses at the Waffle House and a "1 man in 1,000" mechanic's help, bad problems were fixed in 72 hours at no cost.

                            There are more than a few good people in Conway, Arkansas.

                            William

                            [OFF TOPIC MODE OFF]
                            Pharoh was pimp but now he is dead. What are you going to do today?

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                            • #74
                              Originally posted by Swift Sword View Post
                              [OFF TOPIC MODE ON]

                              Zraver,

                              I was in a jam and broke in Conway in 1998. Between the kindly assistance of the waitresses at the Waffle House and a "1 man in 1,000" mechanic's help, bad problems were fixed in 72 hours at no cost.

                              There are more than a few good people in Conway, Arkansas.

                              William

                              [OFF TOPIC MODE OFF]
                              heh, the first time I ever laid foot in Arkansas other than a quick flight change in Little Rock on my way to reception at Ft Knox was in 92. I had been at Knox as cadre after going active and then got assigned to Ft Hood and III Corps (and eventually 2AD) A buddy got the same orders so we loaded up my 75 Nova and headed south. We broken down in Carlise Arkansas. The people were very friendly and willing to help and for the most part is hasn't changed. There are some good people down here- funny notions but good

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                              • #75
                                A coach I worked with for two years is head baseball coach in Carlisle now.

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