Our current government is obsessed with—and extremely hostile to—Russia and is basically friendly to China. It focuses its enmity on the small threat, while it brownnoses the big one.
Our current government is obsessed with—and extremely hostile to—Russia and is basically friendly to China. It focuses its enmity on the small threat, while it brownnoses the big one.
Think for a sec. Remember how BIden left behind a couple billion dollars worth of military equipment in Afghanistan, for the Taliban to share with China and Pakistan? I think that Biden, or more likely, whoever makes his decisions for him, wants us to use up as much military equipment in Ukraine in this war with Russia, so that we are left with as little as possible. Apparently we have been sending a lot of equipment to Ukraine. Some people think that part of the reason Biden is so focused on a war in which seemingly there is little reason for the US to be involved is that perhaps someone actually wants to deplete our military supplies - supposedly it will take some years for us to replenish the items we are using up / giving away in Ukraine. Since apparently there is a shortage of computer chips, could be a good long while before some things get replenished, and we will be lacking in how we are able to defend ourselves from a real threat.
And I think this may be a second level issue. If you could find the previous DOD medical data for post-vaxx morbidity, and see the number of service members who have quit rather than take the clot-shot, it would be interesting to determine if the US could field any combat capable formations.
I also fear that a "couple of billion dollars worth" is off by one or two orders of magnitude.
Well the chip issue is not straightforward in military equipment. True all the newer chips come from Asia, but a lot of the military equipment uses decades old chip technology and there has been a spare parts issue getting these chips for quite a while. Maybe we are getting rid of obsolete equipment that we can no longer maintain? (Although that sounds too logical but could be a side benefit of the protection racket.)
All that "obsolete equipment", paid for with money stolen from you, was gifted to your local police, so they can even more impressively pretend to Serve and Protect™.
Bush did the same thing with/in Iraq. Out with the old. Brand new military budget for squeezing more taxpayer $$$ out of the already starved public for some newer technologically advanced bullish::t that will become obsolete, as you say, once the microchips become no longe available. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Some say that they're doing it to get the "defence industries" flourish. Idk but, leaving behind so much of high grade, top quality equipment to the value of several bln $ does seem like "accidentally on purpose". And now depleting it even further... Isn't it after all, part of the strategy to keep the war machine going? Together with preserving the idea of ever present enemy, to keep the "war industry" in good business.
You just have to look at how that withdrawal was executed - midnight desertion of Bagram - to know that the Manchurian was paying his dues. Whether it was China or Raytheon doesn't matter. Enemies and cronies alike benefitted.
I don't disagree that the administration will continue to soak the taxpayers to fund the MIC - it's become a tradition. And that we left tons of equipment behind in Afghanistan, and that we are pumping it into Ukraine now.
But I don't think it's accurate to think it is such "high grade top quality equipment". So much of what is fielded is OLD tech though still used. It takes years just to design, develop, test, manufacture, and field a new component in an old airframe or vehicle. We don't see much of the new high-tech equipment and most of that would be classified/export controlled.
I'm certainly not an expert o the military, so it's just my opinion, but I had read a report in which someone was analyzing what was going on with the military equipment to the Ukraine who reported it was excellent equipment that would take us years to replace. Since all the mdia lies all the time, one never knows who to believe, but the thurst of the article was that we were getting rid of equipment we were likely to need for ourselves, getting rid of good stuff in Ukraine that would - reportedly - take years to replace. Since everything Biden does seems calculated (by someone - I know his brain is no longer functioning, but calculated by someone) to destroy our country, the report made sense to me. The report I read was pointing out in so many ways, China is the much bigger threat to us, but if we give everything away in Ukraine.... I don't know. I guess we'll find out some time.
Forbes lists detailed equipment lists. They are generally priced at replacement costs - for equipment that is mostly decades old and was sent there over time since 2003. The largest number of ground vehicles left behind is 42,604 light tactical vehicles - Ford Ranger pick-ups and cargo trucks. Next are HMMWVs (post Vietnam), 5 ton cargo trucks, 928 MWRAPS (ambulance, mine-protected HMMWV), then a few dozen large and small aircraft of old but still fielded vintage, and some drones. The helicopters are Mi-17, a Russian helicopter, and MD-530 - a McDonell-Douglas helicopter. McDonell-Douglass was bought by Boeing in 1997 and a few Blackhawks of unknown generation, several 2-seater Embraier "light attack aircraft". The list goes on. It was sent there over the last 20 years and very little is recent technology, with the exception of drones and updated instruments or radios in older equipment, and cell phone detectors. I AGREE it was a criminal US exit, but a lot of that equipment would be more expensive to ship home and refurbish than to leave there. Besides, who will maintain it and keep it operational? Satellites will see it there rusting for a long long time.
The real crime is the Americans and support personnel we left behind. Why do the articles focus on the equipment? Justifying an ever-bigger defense budget?
Our current government is obsessed with—and extremely hostile to—Russia and is basically friendly to China. It focuses its enmity on the small threat, while it brownnoses the big one.
Think for a sec. Remember how BIden left behind a couple billion dollars worth of military equipment in Afghanistan, for the Taliban to share with China and Pakistan? I think that Biden, or more likely, whoever makes his decisions for him, wants us to use up as much military equipment in Ukraine in this war with Russia, so that we are left with as little as possible. Apparently we have been sending a lot of equipment to Ukraine. Some people think that part of the reason Biden is so focused on a war in which seemingly there is little reason for the US to be involved is that perhaps someone actually wants to deplete our military supplies - supposedly it will take some years for us to replenish the items we are using up / giving away in Ukraine. Since apparently there is a shortage of computer chips, could be a good long while before some things get replenished, and we will be lacking in how we are able to defend ourselves from a real threat.
And I think this may be a second level issue. If you could find the previous DOD medical data for post-vaxx morbidity, and see the number of service members who have quit rather than take the clot-shot, it would be interesting to determine if the US could field any combat capable formations.
I also fear that a "couple of billion dollars worth" is off by one or two orders of magnitude.
Well the chip issue is not straightforward in military equipment. True all the newer chips come from Asia, but a lot of the military equipment uses decades old chip technology and there has been a spare parts issue getting these chips for quite a while. Maybe we are getting rid of obsolete equipment that we can no longer maintain? (Although that sounds too logical but could be a side benefit of the protection racket.)
All that "obsolete equipment", paid for with money stolen from you, was gifted to your local police, so they can even more impressively pretend to Serve and Protect™.
Bush did the same thing with/in Iraq. Out with the old. Brand new military budget for squeezing more taxpayer $$$ out of the already starved public for some newer technologically advanced bullish::t that will become obsolete, as you say, once the microchips become no longe available. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Some say that they're doing it to get the "defence industries" flourish. Idk but, leaving behind so much of high grade, top quality equipment to the value of several bln $ does seem like "accidentally on purpose". And now depleting it even further... Isn't it after all, part of the strategy to keep the war machine going? Together with preserving the idea of ever present enemy, to keep the "war industry" in good business.
You just have to look at how that withdrawal was executed - midnight desertion of Bagram - to know that the Manchurian was paying his dues. Whether it was China or Raytheon doesn't matter. Enemies and cronies alike benefitted.
I don't disagree that the administration will continue to soak the taxpayers to fund the MIC - it's become a tradition. And that we left tons of equipment behind in Afghanistan, and that we are pumping it into Ukraine now.
But I don't think it's accurate to think it is such "high grade top quality equipment". So much of what is fielded is OLD tech though still used. It takes years just to design, develop, test, manufacture, and field a new component in an old airframe or vehicle. We don't see much of the new high-tech equipment and most of that would be classified/export controlled.
I'm certainly not an expert o the military, so it's just my opinion, but I had read a report in which someone was analyzing what was going on with the military equipment to the Ukraine who reported it was excellent equipment that would take us years to replace. Since all the mdia lies all the time, one never knows who to believe, but the thurst of the article was that we were getting rid of equipment we were likely to need for ourselves, getting rid of good stuff in Ukraine that would - reportedly - take years to replace. Since everything Biden does seems calculated (by someone - I know his brain is no longer functioning, but calculated by someone) to destroy our country, the report made sense to me. The report I read was pointing out in so many ways, China is the much bigger threat to us, but if we give everything away in Ukraine.... I don't know. I guess we'll find out some time.
Forbes lists detailed equipment lists. They are generally priced at replacement costs - for equipment that is mostly decades old and was sent there over time since 2003. The largest number of ground vehicles left behind is 42,604 light tactical vehicles - Ford Ranger pick-ups and cargo trucks. Next are HMMWVs (post Vietnam), 5 ton cargo trucks, 928 MWRAPS (ambulance, mine-protected HMMWV), then a few dozen large and small aircraft of old but still fielded vintage, and some drones. The helicopters are Mi-17, a Russian helicopter, and MD-530 - a McDonell-Douglas helicopter. McDonell-Douglass was bought by Boeing in 1997 and a few Blackhawks of unknown generation, several 2-seater Embraier "light attack aircraft". The list goes on. It was sent there over the last 20 years and very little is recent technology, with the exception of drones and updated instruments or radios in older equipment, and cell phone detectors. I AGREE it was a criminal US exit, but a lot of that equipment would be more expensive to ship home and refurbish than to leave there. Besides, who will maintain it and keep it operational? Satellites will see it there rusting for a long long time.
The real crime is the Americans and support personnel we left behind. Why do the articles focus on the equipment? Justifying an ever-bigger defense budget?
China could bankrupt the USG and tank the USD in a heartbeat by dumping its treasuries.
It could also destroy Comrade Brandon's presidency in short order by revealing the true scale of he and Hunter's grift.
As long as these two things remain true, the USG won't do anything beyond a bit of lip-flapping when it comes to the CCP.
that would also seriously damage their domestic economy
Given what they are doing in Shanghai, economic damage would appear to be a secondary consideration.
After all, like here in the US, the people doing the damage are completely insulated from it.