My experience working with Defense Contractors allowed me to get an insight to understand the overspending cited by our current DOD. Generals in the Pentagon were divided by immediate service needs and focused on improving existing defense equipment. The Airforce wanted planes designed for their next enhancement. The Navy wanted these planes improved to take off and land on carriers. The Army wanted more accurate ground weapons, but ended up needing better ways to detect land mines and suicide bombs remotely.
The History of US Military Spending for World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) were marked with periods of excessive spending during the war years. Spending dropped after each war, but the Military leaders who remained in the service after World War I continued to attempt to improve their weapons for future land wars.
The development of missile technology in the 1950s resulted in adding missiles with atomic warheads to deter aggression and it worked. The use of missiles on helicopters reduced the need for tanks and fighter jets.
In the Korean War (1951-1953) it ended in a stalemate and we used fighter planes, helicopters, and ground troops. In the Vietnam War (1965-1975) we used fighter planes, helicopters and ground troops and lost.
In the Gulf War (1991), President George HW Bush established a coalition of countries to free Kuwait from their Iraq invasion. The war took 4 days and was a great success.
In the 1990s, the DOD called on all Defense Contractors to merge. The contracts for non-nuclear missiles went from Rockwell to Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Rockwell International sold
its aerospace and defense operations, including missile systems, to Boeing
in December 1996. The deal included Rockwell's space systems, defense
electronics, and aircraft businesses, among others. This was part of Rockwell's
strategy to refocus on commercial markets, particularly in industrial
automation, avionics, and communications. According
to a CNN article, the sale was finalized in December
1996.
https://www.google.com/search?q=when+did+rockwell+sell+missile+systems+to+boeing
The Afghan War began on 10/7/2001 following the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11/2001. It ended on August 30, 2021. President George W Bush pursued “nation building”, set up a Democratic Government to continue the War on the Taliban
The Afghan War was a 20-year armed conflict that began in 2001 as a response to the September 11th attacks and ended in 2021 with the withdrawal of U.S. and allied troops. It was a U.S.-led coalition effort against the Taliban regime and al-Qaeda, who were providing safe haven for the September 11th attackers.
Key Aspects of the War:
Timeline: The war spanned from 2001 to 2021.
Combatants: The U.S. and its allies (including the United Kingdom, Canada, etc.) fought against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Goals: The initial goal was to dismantle al-Qaeda and overthrow the Taliban, who had been providing sanctuary for al-Qaeda.
Phases: The war can be divided into three phases: the initial toppling of the Taliban, a period of rebuilding Afghan institutions, and a later phase focused on counterinsurgency.
Withdrawal: The war concluded with the withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces in 2021 and led to the Taliban's re-establishment of control over Afghanistan.
Longest War: The War in Afghanistan was the longest war in U.S. military history, exceeding the Vietnam War by six months.
Aftermath: The
withdrawal led to significant changes in Afghanistan, including the Taliban's
return to power.
https://www.google.com/search?q=afghan+war
The Iraq War, also known as
the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged
conflict in Iraq from 2003 to 2011, initially involving a U.S.-led invasion
that overthrew the Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein. Following the
invasion, an insurgency arose against coalition forces and the newly established
Iraqi government, leading to a protracted occupation and armed
conflict. The US officially withdrew in 2011, but later re-engaged in
2014, leading a new coalition against the Islamic State insurgency.
https://www.google.com/search?q=iraq+war
The US national debt in the
year 2000 was approximately $5.674 trillion. This was a time of
budget surplus for the federal government, meaning they collected more in taxes
than they spent.
https://www.google.com/search?q=us+national+debt+in+2000
In 2024, the U.S. national
debt reached $36 trillion. Specifically, $29 trillion of this was
held by the public, representing debt borrowed from domestic and foreign
investors, while the remaining $7 trillion was intragovernmental debt.
https://www.google.com/search?q=us+national+debt+in+2024
The US war in Afghanistan,
from 2001 to 2022, cost an estimated $2.313 trillion. This figure includes
military spending, reconstruction efforts, and costs related to the war, but it
does not include future obligations for American veterans' care or future
interest on war-related debt. Additionally, the war led to significant
human costs, with an estimated 4.5-4.7 million deaths attributed to the
post-9/11 wars in the region, including both direct and indirect deaths.
https://www.google.com/search?q=cost+of+the+afghan+war
The estimated financial cost
of the Iraq War for the United States is around $2.9 trillion, including both
direct and indirect costs like veterans' care and interest on debt incurred to
finance the war. This figure includes the direct cost of military
operations, the cost of caring for wounded veterans, and the broader economic
impact of the war.
https://www.google.com/search?q=cost+of+the+iraq+war
Comments
George W Bush failed in his quest to “westernize” Afghanistan and Iraq and spend $5.2 trillion. Barak Obama continued the Afghan and Iraq debacles and Joe Biden botched the Afghan withdrawal. The US lost both wars.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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