Gee, Wonder Why Our Defense Budget Is Where It Is?

[Annie]

Japan and Australia our the only allies that are truly trying to pull their weight and yet we need to still bolster their defenses:

http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/4209

http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/2007117213555.asp

Britannia Flees the Seas
by James Dunnigan
January 17, 2007
Discussion Board on this DLS topic

Continuing budget problems have already forced Britians Royal Navy to mothball (put into inactive reserve) 13 of its 44 warships. Now it has been decided to mothball another eight, and to cancel construction of two Type-45 destroyers. That will leave only six new Type-45s, plus two new aircraft carriers being built. The government is also considering closing one of the three bases the navy maintains. The budget problems are caused by cost overruns in procurement problems for new ships (destroyers and nuclear subs) and aircraft (the new Eurofighter), as well as training costs associated with troops being sent to Afghanistan and Iraq. The government believes it can get away with these cuts because, well, the U.S. Navy is more powerful than all the world's navies combined, and a close ally of Britain. So if there's an emergency requiring warships…

 

[BaronVonBigmeat]

We're long overdue to withdraw all american troops from europe, Japan, Korea, etc. Even if you consider our presence in the mideast necessary, I find it baffling as to why no one has suggested closing bases in countries that have not seen combat in decades. Russia hardly needs to use it's military for leverage anyway; they control most of the gas and oil going into europe. And if europe can't successfully defend themselves from whatever miniscule military threat Russia presents, too bad.