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Showing posts with the label American Army

Billion Dollar Base: Army Base in Afghanistan | Free Documentary

Should America Build a Smaller, More Lethal U.S. Army? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Robert Prescott)

US Army Rangers ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons) Source- The National Interest Author- Robert Prescott In the Old Testament book of Judges, the Almighty tasks Gideon with leading the Israelites against their oppressor, the Midianites. In assembling an Israelite army, the Almighty commands Gideon to reduce his numbers. Gideon obeys and ultimately triumphs with the remaining force of three hundred men employing an elaborate ruse. Reducing the size of an armed force seems counterintuitive, but, as the story illustrates, organizational design, and not end strength, is critical to military effectiveness. In the present day, headlines are replete with American Army leadership warning of risks arising from the reduction in the service’s end strength. Unfortunately, Army leadership indicated the risks could only be addressed by providing the service with more resources, namely appropriation dollars to afford additional personnel and new equipment. Given the Department

Is America’s Military Slowly Becoming Obsolete? ( Source- National Interest / Author- James Hasik)

Bowing B-52 Stratofortress ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Air force) Source- National Interest Author- James Hasik In The Australian last November, David Kilcullen argued that “the West’s failed counter-terrorism strategy requires a complete rethink.” Set aside for the moment James Fallows’ screed in The Atlantic last December. Thirteen years of not-quite-winning two wars in the Middle East and South Asia, despite overwhelming material advantage, is not a good track record for national strategy. At this point, the air campaign against ISIS may be holding the line, but it is not rolling anyone back, and cannot do so alone. Frankly, as I argued here more narrowly a few days after Kilcullen (see “Software is Eating the War,” 3 November 2014), the West's whole defense-industrial strategy could use a thorough rethinking too. Ominously, though, shifting economic and technological trends are rendering questionable its hitherto highly successful mas

America's Real Challenge in Asia: The Reassurance Dilemma (Source- The National Interest / Authors- Brad Glosserman & David Santoro)

Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Navy by Christopher B. Long, USN Source- The National Interest Authors- Brad Glosserman & David Santoro Reassuring allies is a never-ending assignment. That task is especially challenging in Northeast Asia, where the usual problems created by geography and different geopolitical interests are compounded by an evolving security environment characterized by North Korea’s continued progress in developing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons, China’s steady military modernization and more assertive regional role, growing diffusion of the nature and source of threats (notably due to the rising prominence of the cyber and space domains), and political dysfunction in Washington that makes it more difficult for allies to anticipate America’s reaction to a crisis. Fortunately, the United States understands the critical importance of honoring its alliance commitments and defending its allies. Failure to do so would

The 5 Most Powerful Armies on Planet Earth ( Source/Copy Right @ The National Interest, Author- Kyle Mizokami)

Nirbhay Cruise Missile ( Image credits- DRDO) Source/Copy Right - The National Interest Author- Kyle Mizokami  Prioritizing the five most powerful armies on Earth is not an easy task. Each country has its own unique security situation that shapes its military in general and land power in particular, accordingly. Geographic, political, diplomatic and fiscal issues all determine army size. Does it exist in a bad neighborhood like India, Afghanistan or Jordan, or a nice neighborhood like the United States, Luxembourg or Canada? Is it internally focused, externally focused or both? How much in military spending can the government afford? The end of the Cold War marked shift of hard military power eastward. The British Army is projected to drop from 120,000 in 1990 to just 82,000 in 2020. The French Army has been cut from 236,000 in 1996 to just 119,000 personnel. The most striking cuts have appeared in Germany, where the army has declined from 360,000 in 1990 to 62,00