THE US Military Thread (merged)

BabyPeanut · **Posted:** Wed Mar 23, 2005 1:09 pm

Well who will be drafted is pure theory now considering there's no draft right now. So will you be drafted despite your illnesses? Not at this moment but I wouldn't put it past a desperate USA to do all kinds of crazy shit.

peak_ah_boo · **Joined:** Wed Mar 23, 2005 1:00 am **Posts:** 6

Draft just sounds too chilly.

It needs repackaging. Call it the BREEZE? Enjoyable in all seasons. A soft summer breeze, a cool ocean breeze, a warm breeze off the desert.

Sounds better already.

johnmarkos · **Posted:** Tue Apr 12, 2005 2:39 pm

BlisteredWhippet wrote:

Hold on buddy...

Its 2005 and peak oil is about to occur. We spend 500 billion on defense and there's about to be an energy crisis.

I'm just pointing at the writing on the wall.

Here's the writing on the wall: U.S. military spending has shrunk significantly as a percentage of GDP since Eisenhower warned of the "military industrial complex" in 1961.

Kingcoal · **Posted:** Tue Apr 12, 2005 3:00 pm

Good data, both Afghanistan and Iraq have been relatively cheap by historical standards. Now for the real "hold on a minute buddy:"

Entitlement programs as a percentage of GDP

A 125-Year Picture of the Federal Government's Share of the Economy, 1950 to 2075

johnmarkos · **Posted:** Tue Apr 12, 2005 3:15 pm

Here's some other interesting historical data on deficit spending and the national debt.

http://traxel.com/deficit/

NevadaGhosts · **Joined:** Fri Aug 20, 2004 12:00 am **Posts:** 739

Ominously, Army Recruiting Tumbles

Quote:

Last month, Army recruiters fell 42 percent short of their goal, according to the Army Recruiting Command. They had hoped to sign up 6,600 volunteers; but despite bonuses of up to $20,000 for those willing to report by May 30, they fell 2,779 recruits short.

Those numbers are ominous. If they continue in the months to come, as seems likely, they threaten not merely our ability to stick it out in Iraq, but also the Army's long-term ability to perform its duties worldwide. And the reason for that decline is obvious.

In April of 2003, around the first anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, 73 percent of Americans believed the war was worthwhile; only 23 percent did not, according to a CNN/Gallup poll. So recruiters had little trouble filling their quotas.

Today, though, only 41 percent of Americans believe the war was worthwhile, while 57 percent do not. And if Americans do not believe the war worthwhile, they're not likely to sign up to fight in it.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0509-28.htm

I feel a draft in the air...

Overlyhonest · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 2:30 am

Have any service people been shifted from one branch of the military to another?

NevadaGhosts · **Joined:** Fri Aug 20, 2004 12:00 am **Posts:** 739

and another article:

Army, Marines miss recruiting goals again

Quote:

After more than three years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the all-volunteer military is facing its toughest test yet.

In April, the Army missed its recruiting goal for the third month in a row, short by nearly 2,800 recruits, or 42 percent off its target.

And for the first time in 10 years, the Marine Corps missed its recruiting goal for the last four months.

But the current problem with recruiting could have long-term ramifications on America's ability to take on other potential conflicts.

"This raises questions about whether the all-volunteer force can really cope with a long war," says military analyst Loren Thompson.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7802712/

bruin · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 11:43 am

Most likely, the US will announce "Iraq is in great shape" and we'll pull out a load of troups. Meanwhile, civil war will be breaking out in Iraq. A draft will be way to unpopular for this war.

FatherOfTwo · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 12:14 pm

bruin wrote:

Most likely, the US will announce "Iraq is in great shape" and we'll pull out a load of troups.

Huh?
One of the main reasons (the reason?) the US is in Iraq is get their hand on the spigot. They want American companies to go in and get all that lovely oil to market. To do this, they need the security situation to improve significantly. They are trying to build up the Iraqi army (to get them to do their dirty work) but there have been lots of reports about just how poorly trained they are, how much infiltration there is etc etc. The US army is going nowhere soon. I mean, do you really think all of the crap they’ve been building (bases, fortifications) is just so that they can pull out the troops and let the country degrade into civil war?

Pops · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 12:25 pm

Not necessarily transfers (that would make too much sense) but as I understand it, the Air Force is actually reducing its ranks and the other services are actively recruiting from them.

UAVs I guess. In the future all the planes will fly by remote and the pilots will receive training via Grand Theft Auto from age three.

AirlinePilot · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 1:12 pm

Pops,

Reminds me of a sci fi novel (actually several novels) I read years ago. It is titled Enders Game. In it a young boy who shows great promise in leadership and tactical skills is schooled with other youngsters from an early age in military fashion. Somewhere along the line as they get older they are used to simulate battles which end up being real although they don't know it at the time. Sounds a lot like the UAV/ UCAV thing happening now.

It's a very good piece of writing by the way, Orson Scott Card is the author. I can highly recommend it to fans of the genre.

cube · **Joined:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 1:00 am **Posts:** 3955

FatherOfTwo wrote:

bruin wrote:

Most likely, the US will announce "Iraq is in great shape" and we'll pull out a load of troups.

Huh?
One of the main reasons (the reason?) the US is in Iraq is get their hand on the spigot. They want American companies to go in and get all that lovely oil to market.....

You mean it won't be French companies drilling for oil in Iraq?

Anyways I was reading this article about some Army recruiter crying about how difficult his job was. I wonder why? :roll:

Anyways the bloke was getting depressed from being rejected so often that he started losing weight, that and also since recruiters get paid commision that's probably the worst job you can have in the army right now. *long hours and low pay* The recruiter even said he'd rather be sent to Iraq then to continue his job in the US *trying* to recruit more soldiers.

seldom_seen · **Joined:** Tue Apr 12, 2005 12:00 am **Posts:** 2333

Quote:

The recruiter even said he'd rather be sent to Iraq then to continue his job in the US *trying* to recruit more soldiers.

Rather than guarding the border of Iraq and Syria, or guarding the border of North and South Korea, or guarding the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Imagine if the military was used to guard the Border of the United States.
Recruitment would go way up, and we would have lots of happy recruiters.

The American public is not as dumb as many people would like to make them out to be. The United States military is in name only. The head has broken off from the body.

duke3522 · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 1:30 pm

My son is a prime example. Last year he was all set to go into the army after graduation. I was none to pleased, but I supported his decision. But since he got into a class where his teacher is an ex navy seal something has turned him around. He now tells me he has no intention of joining up just so he can be cannon fodder over in Iraq.

The best thing is that I got to tell off some idiot recruitment officer who would not stop calling even after DS told them several times he was no longer interested. I told him in no uncertain terms that his calls were no longer welcome, and that if the calls continued I would be contacting his superiors, my senators and representatives, and any anti-draft organizations I could find that would listen. No one toys with my son's life.

THE US Military Thread (merged)

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