Jim, I agree with you about the urgency of national defense.
But let me point out a real sticking point in the notion of a
high-tech military requiring less equipment and fewer troops.
Example: You've got a modern fighter-bomber that can
practically fly itself, has stealth capability, super-fast, carries
and uses a tremendous variety of computer-aided weapons systems,
can punch at the weight of entire squadron of F-15 Tomcats.
Wonderful. But when you lose one, and it does happen, you've lost
the punching weight of that entire squadrom of Tomcats. On a
per-plane-loss basis, you'd be better off with the squadron of
Tomcats.
Extremely effective small weapons systems with lots of
well-trained troops to use them -- now that makes sense in the
current war-fighting environment.
And here's an aside on a strategic issue, only half-facetious:
If Pakistan falls to the Islamic radicals, as is now being
discussed very seriously, at least we'd have a country (and a
military establishment) to bomb, and could do so forthwith.
topics:
Islam, Environment, Military, Pakistan
