People that would cut military spending need to ask themselves this

That is probably why there was no decisive final victory. There was no lasting benefit to the US. Castro's Cuba, our enemy, and its clients have continued to undermine US interests at every opportunity.

Was this a war? Police action? Military adventure? The costs were not insignificant.

 

We're going to spend $1.5 TRILLION on the F-35.

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/02/18/DOD-Stuck-Flawed-15-Trillion-Fighter-Jet

The original cost was $400B for 2400 planes, but there have been cost overruns ($160B) and the plane is considered overweight and underpowered for the job it is designed to do. The Pentagon says it can't turn, can't climb, and can't run… and it may not be suitable for combat. It does have a special coating that makes it harder to be seen on radar, but it has been grounded at least 13 times due to engine malfunctions. We've invested too much money in it to simply scrap it so we're stuck with it for probably the next 40 years. In the meantime, Russia and China are developing newer planes while the F35 is already inferior to Chinese jets in simulation.

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-deba...t-f-35-fighter-cant-turn-cant-climb-cant-run/

 

How does having a huge military help fight to win an unconventional counter-insurgency war?

Conventional power is not a way to defeat unconventional combatants.

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Again, you are moving the goal posts. The objective in Grenada was to overthrow the Grenadan government. That objective was achieved.

It was never our goal during that conflict to eliminate Cuba.

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The British capitalists killed just as many people in India as Stalin did in Russia.

 

But think of all the loot our political class has pocketed from this boondoggle! The F-35 is a Win Win Win for DC.

 

And they want to get rid of the A-10 (which the troops all LOVE). Why? Its cheap to fly, lasts forever and its parts are very cheap to replace. How is anybody supposed to get rich off a plane like that?

 

How about we don't engage in useless, pointless wars so our kids don't die in vain?

 

considering the pandering that some "conservative" politicians there is no doubt that some aren't conservative at all.

But I didn't say conservative, I said on the right. Conservatives are closer to the fringe than to the center.

 

well we did invade and kill the indians. Right of conquest works both ways. Americans won before and now latinos are winning with their invasion and the muslims in europe. The weaker cultures must always give way to the stronger ones.

 

Oh no doubt… somebody got paid in political capital, if not in $$$. We went down the rabbit hole but took the blue pill. Had we taken the red pill, we wouldn't have gone down this path.

 

If Grenada was not a real war then a final decisive victory over an enemy was not an option. It was apparent;y a military adventure that gained little or no lasting benefit to the US.

Unless the US is attacked directly the Congress should declare war on a clearly defined enemy before troops are sent into combat. The War Powers Act has become a tool for executive folly.

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The USG is addicted to that blue pill.

 

Jonsa, I'll bet if you did a man on the street interview and asked, "What is the name of the top military headquarters of the U.S.?", maybe 20% could tell you the correct answer.

It would be nice if the general public stayed so informed and so engaged that could intelligently debate how and why the money is spent. But truth is, they don't get informed, and they are not engaged.

 

Well we could save over a trillion dollars if we just stop wasting money on the travesty of the J35 program.

 

Our enemy in Grenada was the Grenadan communist government. We decisively defeated them. We have had the lasting benefit that US citizens and businesses in Grenada have not been attacked since.

 

Conservatives like almost all Americans want to see the size, power and cost of government reduced. Politicians have a strong bias in favor of expanding the government - it pays. Do you know many "conservative" in Congress voted against the lame duck Cromnibus Budget?

 

The Grenada War. What a weekend!

 

It works very well so long as we have control of the air. And you are right - few in Washington want a cheap weapon system.

 

I don't think there's much correlation between what we are spending and what we are getting in return anymore. Compare the F-35 JSF to the Russian SU-37 and you'll begin to get the picture. Seems to me what we are getting these days are a lot of dollar returns on investment and mountains of junk.

 

Quick decisive victory.

 

Really, does China have that option, or are we keeping the oceans safe for them also because doesn't our economy depend on them? Maybe we should charge them for our service and we could have a yuuuuuge military and make them pay for it.
You're using the same argument on another thread and it is no more than a talking point for your position but doesn't really hold water.

 

IOW, not worth it. US interests in Grenada are insignificant, and it is far from clear that a full out invasion was needed to protect them.

The US does a lot of business with Communist governments.

 

Not in 1983. And the invasion was less than a full division worth of troops.

 

Our great post WW II victory! VG Day will never be forgotten!

 

Our great post WW2 victory was Gulf War I, where we functionally annihilated the 3rd largest army on the planet and decisively achieved victory in our objective of liberating Kuwait.

 

We suffered significant losses in the Grenada excursion. Given that we do business with Communist states now it is clear that we should have been doing business with them from the start. How many casualties did we suffer in Vietnam - to lose to a country we now invest in?

What a waste.

 

GW I was just a big battle. It led directly to GW II which led directly to where we are now. There is no substitute for real victory.