tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post8248319581419419640..comments2024-03-27T20:37:08.065+01:00Comments on Defence and Freedom: The extent of the economical problem - because some don't get itUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-60316149216847768922011-12-18T14:19:09.283+01:002011-12-18T14:19:09.283+01:00Sure, that was badly phrased. I hope this attempt ...Sure, that was badly phrased. I hope this attempt is better.<br /><br />The Reichswehr and Wehrmacht had been developing new weapon systems prior to WWII with the ruling Nazis and Conservatives intent on producing and using these compareably modern weapons in an attempted European conflict.<br /><br />Similarly the Russians kept a low profile after the fall of the Soviet Union while, as you mentioned, developing their arms to higher sophistication. A later widespread introduction of new weapon systems under improved economic and financial conditions can have been coincidence or part of a long term plan. During the vulnerable time with little effective armament a defensive military posture towards a possible armed peer-conflict had to be maintained. That doesn't exclude swashbuckling as long as you bluff.<br /><br />The same intent is possibly also true for the Chinese PLA that bids time until the Four Modernizations have established the necessary base for an even more influential global role.<br /><br />The US is currently massively investing into hardware that outclasses enemy capabilities by far, but I have doubts this build up will be sustainable in comparison to emerging peer competitors on the long run. An armament reflecting the current threat environment with more funds for economic and technological development would be the wiser choice in my opinion for maintaining global influence as a major power.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-37685066376685412872011-12-17T01:05:05.235+01:002011-12-17T01:05:05.235+01:00The Wehrmacht developes new weapon systems? I thin...The Wehrmacht developes new weapon systems? I think you mixed something up.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-44833397831292199152011-12-17T00:42:06.172+01:002011-12-17T00:42:06.172+01:00Ending the war in Afghanistan could offer the chan...Ending the war in Afghanistan could offer the chance for a peace dividend to scale the military budget back to the Clinton era amount. But as long as there's a war not only conducted with drones that could be political suicide.<br /><br />That would be an interesting question, does economic power equal military power via the ability to build and finance weapons? Would it benefit the US to develop dual use systems for military and civilian use? Seriously, the US is as renown for bad cars and good weapons as the Russians, but the later have a much better price.<br /><br />Another post in this blog mentioned Russians and Wehrmacht developing new weapons systems. Well, America is safe for now and could take her time to thoroughly test and develop new ideas and equipment that also fulfills economic requirements.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-1229171279787322282009-03-01T17:01:00.000+01:002009-03-01T17:01:00.000+01:00Unfortunately, you happen to be entirely correct o...Unfortunately, you happen to be entirely correct on this post. I have often wondered why my economics classes did not address this voodoo math of consumption, I myself am guilty of simply ignoring it and assuming that we can just keep borrowing forever.<BR/><BR/>In terms of military spending, I think we Americans have just gotten used to spending $500 billion dollars and ignoring the fact that our DOD budget is 5x larger than the next competitor. The military industrial complex has become institutionalized, it seems unbelievable that a century ago, we had only 15000 men under arms before WWI. Our (justified) extreme distaste for casualties may be another reason why we prefer to spend lots of money as opposed to lots of blood on our wars. Or perhaps we're gearing up to fight a war with the Martians.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-30507345282863521792009-02-25T02:07:00.000+01:002009-02-25T02:07:00.000+01:00"unless an industrial miracle happens (massive exp...<I>"unless an industrial miracle happens (massive expansion of U.S. industrial output)"</I><BR/><BR/>And Unicorns will frolic on the Whitehouse lawn. My fellow Americans are children when it comes to economics and we're about to see what it's like to not make anything that others need. We have killed our industrial base, which can actually produce something that someone wants. I have no idea what a post industrial American economic recovery looks like... although, Zimbabwe might be a great example.ENhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12193563623321560413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-9654492699797418812009-02-25T02:00:00.000+01:002009-02-25T02:00:00.000+01:00Thanks, I fixed the 'since'. It was indeed a direc...Thanks, I fixed the 'since'. It was indeed a direct translation, although "for many years" was already in my passive vocabulary.<BR/><BR/>I wrote earlier about the Munich conference - calls for partial disarmament aren't rare, and many nations already did it (intentionally or due to fiscal problems like Russia).S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-63448253677388953042009-02-25T01:29:00.000+01:002009-02-25T01:29:00.000+01:00I'm glad to have found a military blog that doesn'...I'm glad to have found a military blog that doesn't put everything through a conservative filter. We definitely need to trim down military spending, the United States could halve its military spending with no real loss of security. It would be nice to see an international movement to lower military spending to cope with the worldwide economic downturn, although it would be a double-edged sword, adding to the unemployment problem. And by the way to say "seit vielen Jahren" you say "for many years" rather than "since many years". Apparently you still type with a german accent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com