10 Reasons the US Should Not Cut Military Spending

2. The World Today Is A Very Dangerous Place

The world is a dangerous place. Isis is just one nasty foe.
The world is a dangerous place. Isis is just one nasty foe.

The 20th Century was undoubtedly one of turmoil and conflict which saw every generation of Americans exposed to brutal conflicts from the First World War to Vietnam.  Not only that but the Cold War exposed all Americans, at home or abroad, military or civilian to the potential for annihilation through nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union.  It was only truly in the last decade of the Century that we saw a light at the

end of the Tunnel, the Cold War and proxy engagements at an end it looked as though the world might experience a period of peace.  Nevertheless action in Iraq and Kuwait, Somalia and the Balkans amongst others showed that there was no room for complacency and gave an indicator of the turmoil to come.

The horrendous events of 9/11 brought home the need for the US to be prepared to meet and defeat novel forms of attacks against its citizens and allies.  Engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan have been prolonged and expensive but any hopes that drawdowns there have seen an end to the dangers faced by the US have been dashed by the destabilization of the Middle East by the Arab Spring and the resultant rise of the Islamic State/DAESH.  Meanwhile an increasingly aggressive Russian Bear is flexing its muscles, annexing the Crimea, part of the independent Ukraine, and casting covetous glances at our NATO Allies, the Baltic States.  China is starting to experiment with the range of its power and influence, entering territorial disputes with the Philippines, North Korea is testing missiles and we have practically gifted Iran permission to destabilize the global economy by flooding the oil markets and further inflame tensions in the Middle East by developing its nuclear capability.

Our allies may be our friends but they rely on us far more than we could ever rely on them.  Even the British, with their undoubtedly excellent professional army is only able to field a fraction or our men and materiel.

Against such a background it would be nothing short of a suicidal folly to cut our spending on defense.

1. America’s Security At Home And Abroad Is Guaranteed By A Strong Military

A strong military helps ensure our safety at home and abroad.
A strong military helps ensure our safety at home and abroad.

We are sure that you have heard the saying ‘A Good Defense Is A Good Offence’ an idiom which is based on the writings of masters as diverse as Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, George Washington and Mao Zedong proving that it applies to all times and places.

It is as true to the US today as it has ever been.  A strong military and defense capability ensures a strong and safe America.  Without it those who would wish America harm will be emboldened to go further, faster than they would otherwise do.  Russia, after years in the doldrums, is finding its voice and strength in the international sphere once again.  China is flexing its trade muscles and is spending billions on its military.  Both these countries (and others) have shown how little they care for American rhetoric and diplomacy.  The only way to prove that we mean business is to invest, and invest strongly, in our military.  We do not need to go on the offensive on the slightest whim, we can be more circumspect, but our potential allies have to know that America is dangerous to attack

 

This article has been harsh on the Obama administration and we do believe that it has treated the military shamefully but the earlier Republican administrations must also share some of the blame, overcommitting our military and expecting more for less.

A world without a strong American military is not a world at peace where hippies of all nations live together in harmony and sing cum-by-yah.  A world without a strong American military is a world where American citizens (and the citizens of our allies) will be notably less safe and our national security will be vulnerable to surprise attacks.  It is a world where, in the event that things do not go as we hope (and they won’t, history has proved that good things always go to hell in the end) we will have to spend far more bringing our military up to operational readiness than we ever would have had to spend maintaining the status quo.  During that time countless lives, properties and businesses will, inevitably, be at risk.

We hope that we have convinced you of the need at least to maintain the status quo if not extend and expand military spending.  This does not mean that the Department of Defense should be exempt from efficiency savings.  Such exercises are healthy and necessary but the monies saved should be plowed back into the Defense budget and not redistributed elsewhere.

A strong military guarantees a strong, independent and safe America, do not be hoodwinked into putting that at risk.