US Military Empire - sustainable in current form?

[moahunter]

I have started this thread based on an article in the Canadian National Post:

Adapting the U.S. military for a cash-strapped reality | Full Comment | National Post

Despite the pending troop withdrawals in Iraq and those in Afghanistan between now and 2014, the United States remains a superpower on a scale not seen since the days of the Caesars.

According to an annual Pentagon inventory of the real estate it owns or leases around the world, the U.S. military maintains 716 overseas bases in 62 countries. At its height, the British Empire had military bases in only about 35 countries and colonies.

...

“The global reach of the U.S. military today is unprecedented and unparalleled,” said Catherine Lutz of the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University and editor of the book, The Bases of Empire: The Global Struggle Against U.S. Military Posts.

Washington boasts a vast network of military bases that dominate every continent except Antarctica and deploys more than 500,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, spies and private defence contractors in a chain of bases and staging areas around the globe.

...

But over the next two decades the cost of servicing the country’s national debt and providing pensions and health care to retiring Baby Boomers will outstrip the ability of U.S. taxpayers to maintain current levels of defence spending.

“With Americans sending more tax dollars to Washington and getting less in return, they will be less generous in supporting not only defence spending, but also diplomacy, foreign aid and the other tools of U.S. foreign policy,” said Michael Mandelbaum of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of the book Frugal Superpower: America’s Global Leadership in a Cash-Strapped Era.

“A smaller defence budget and less ambitious international commitments won’t necessarily herald the end of America’s era as a global superpower. But they do mean that we will have to be much more selective about where and how we deploy our military and diplomatic resources.”

As a result, pressures are growing to cut the U.S. deficit by trimming the Pentagon’s $550-billion annual budget by consolidating or closing overseas bases.

The breadth and reach is staggering. But will the US public just forever bankroll the security of the entire world? As pensions become difficult to fund, I wonder if this military empire will be downsized significantly, or is it simply to big a part of the US economy and politics to ever be meaningfully changed?

This is the debate we see playing out right now with major projects as well. Projects initiated in the 90's were to support the entire empire, but is the entire empire still needed?

 

[moahunter]

Illustration:

 

[Belesari]

I'm sorry but if you are going to include firebases in afghanistain as a Military base i hate to think of what else is in there.

YES we need to consolidate bases. Dont see alot of reason for any outside of Japan, SK, a couple of the bigger ones in germany, etc. Draw down alot yes but not up and out. In addition some of these bases like the ones in Colombia are much smaller than you would think and have alot of agents from other agencies like the CIA, DEA,FBI, etc.

The author makes it sound like we have a legion in every country we dont. In addition many of those bases are for treaty obligations Japan for instance.

Like the big deal on us being active in over 90 countries. We count everything. Thats even if its a Medic training local forces or a Rangers going into a country for something. Its little more complicated than the author makes it sound.

 

[surpreme]

The US Military Empire can keep its current operations going for awhile. If U S Congress don't cut to much from defense there be okay. There is no military in world that can handle what the US Military Empire is doing now. To make it short the best ever in this known world. The US Military Empire took out the British Empire in world dominance.

 

[My2Cents]

I understand that the 716 bases also includes the Marines stationed at US embassies.

That article is typical media hyperbole. :hul

 

[ngatimozart]

I think as I've said, on another thread,the big problem facing the US is the huge economic deficit that it has and the lack of political will to address the fundamental issues relating to this debt. It is becoming a national security issue for the US. The 2010 US Defence budget alone was, IIRC, US$710 billion. That does not include all the other security budgets like CIA, NSA, Homeland Security etc. IIRC the next highest defence budget is China at US$165 billion. That includes hidden costs and I would presume monies from the PLAs business empire.

This is a link to an opinion piece that is on the Aljazeera - English web site. The article is by, I believe an American, and discusses the old favourite Soviet gripe about the US, the Military - Industrial complex. Whilst I may or may not agree with the conclusions of the article, he does raise some interesting points that I believe are valid and pertinent to this particular thread. One I think that is very important is the relationship between politicians, lobbyists, campaign donors, and public spending. I would suggest that this is susceptible to corruption.

The US security complex: Too big to fail - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Another opinion piece on Aljazeera The lost bases of the US empire suggests that there is little rational discourse in US politics at the moment regarding foreign and strategic policy.

The lost bases of the US empire - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

I would suggest that economic and fiscal policy be included as well in lacking rational discourse. This impacts upon US defence tremendously and like politics one part of defence is also about perceptions. If a hostile entity observes and perceives a muddled and chaotic discourse around defence and security amongst other problems that a nation maybe having then it may encourage said hostile entity to engage in activities detrimental to the target nation. In plain english, if you are have large problems with your treasure and you are going to have to cut your armed forces and security then you may be an easier target. Secondly, when your political leadership cannot sort out the problems that you have with you treasure, because they are pursue their own agendas, then the disruptions are only greater, because the leadership are divided and will not focus on the issues that matter. An old saying comes to mind: "Rome burns whilst Nero fiddles".

So I believe that the US will have to close a number of foreign bases and probably domestic ones as well because it just doesn't have the money to pay for them. It cannot afford the cost.

Now I am very well aware that there are some on this forum who do not like particular sources, but I believe that all sides should be bought to a debate.

 

[Todjaeger]

Another opinion piece on Aljazeera The lost bases of the US empire suggests that there is little rational discourse in US politics at the moment regarding foreign and strategic policy.

Honestly, the above is close but IMO still not quite right. It would be more accurate to state that there is little rational discourse in US politics at the moment.

While this does impact foreign and strategic policy, domestic and economic policy is also very much impacted.

What makes this so frusterating (from my POV at least) is that the different sides are opposed based largely upon idealogical reasons, with part of the opposition being simply that a proposal came from one side or another. Add to that the amount of spin involved, as well as outright distortions and bald-faced lies and things begin to look grim indeed.

 

[ngatimozart]

Partly off topic but I think relevant. This is a link to the Washington Post series Top Secret America Top Secret America | washingtonpost.com I haven't fully explored it but from the intro videos I think it explains the massive increases in security related expenditures and concurrent explosion in federal, state and local security related bureaucracy.

 

[Belesari]

Partly off topic but I think relevant. This is a link to the Washington Post series Top Secret America Top Secret America | washingtonpost.com I haven't fully explored it but from the intro videos I think it explains the massive increases in security related expenditures and concurrent explosion in federal, state and local security related bureaucracy.

You have to remember that for some place the Bases are the biggest economic driver. Removing them is a mjor political challenge.

This includes both bases in the US territories and without.