Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Good news, everyone! Donald Trump has fixed the F-35!

F-35 A 'Great Plane' Now, Thanks To President Trump

Before Trump's inauguration:
The F-35! It’s “not very good!” It’s “out of control!” It’s comes at a “tremendous cost!”
10 days after Trump's inauguration:
The F-35 fighter jet — a great plane by the way, I have to tell you, and Lockheed is doing a very good job as of now,” Trump said Monday at a meeting with small business leaders at the White House. “There were great delays, about seven years of delays, tremendous cost overruns. We’ve ended all of that and we’ve got that program really, really now in good shape, so I’m very proud of that.”

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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Dang, Lockheed should have gotten Trump to consult years ago. I never knew that he is an aeronautics engineer.
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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rstrong wrote:Good news, everyone! Donald Trump has fixed the F-35!

F-35 A 'Great Plane' Now, Thanks To President Trump

Before Trump's inauguration:
The F-35! It’s “not very good!” It’s “out of control!” It’s comes at a “tremendous cost!”
10 days after Trump's inauguration:
The F-35 fighter jet — a great plane by the way, I have to tell you, and Lockheed is doing a very good job as of now,” Trump said Monday at a meeting with small business leaders at the White House. “There were great delays, about seven years of delays, tremendous cost overruns. We’ve ended all of that and we’ve got that program really, really now in good shape, so I’m very proud of that.”
"Of course none of this fixes any of the underlying problems of the F-35. But it’s a great plane now, though, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much."
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Mapping the War Machine

WHICH NATIONS HAVE TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN?

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WHERE ARE THE WARS?

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"There is in the maps above a major overlap with those nations possessing large quantities of oil, but virtually no overlap with those nations producing large quantities of weapons.

There is also a major overlap with those nations “liberated” or otherwise bombed by the United States during the past 16 years. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen — all bombed by the U.S. military in recent years — do not know peace. Nor do some of their neighbors into which weapons and violence have overflowed...."

The first map below shows nations that export weapons to the rest of the world. A handful of nations dominate this racket, led by the United States, followed closely by Russia, with the other permanent UN Security Council members (China, France, UK) doing their part to end war by bringing up the rear together with Spain and Germany.

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The map below is not good news, as it illustrates future weapons deal agreements reached by each nation in the 2007-2014 period, whether all of those weapons have yet been delivered or not. The United States is back on top here. In fact, nobody else is anywhere close. Sweden’s image as relatively peaceful suffers here.

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And, finally, a map of agreements reached between 2007 and 2014 to sell weapons to the Middle East:

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The map above includes democratic governments, brutal monarchies, and everything in between. Some of the regular customers shown here can only be sold weapons in violation of U.S. and international laws. Part of what drives these sales in one country is these sales in neighboring countries. Part of what drives them is aggressive marketing by the U.S. State Department. And part of what pushes the arms race along is the incredible lead set by the United States’ own weapons purchases.

Image

The above map almost certainly understates the U.S. role in funding militarism. The data is taken from SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. While SIPRI cites the figure of $596 billion for U.S. military spending, a full tally of military spending across numerous departments reaches over $1 trillion per year. It is unlikely that SIPRI has under-reported or under-estimated other nations’ spending to the same extent. A rough total for the entire rest of the world is another $1 trillion per year. That $2 trillion is augmented each year by trillions of dollars in destruction by wars and trillions of dollars more in lost economic opportunities. World Beyond War argues that military spending impoverishes those nations engaged in it, rather than enriching them, and that — because a tiny fraction of military spending could end starvation, cure diseases, and otherwise transform the world for the better — we have a moral duty to make a transition....

WHO’S GOT THE NUKES?

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AND WHO’S GOT THE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS?

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WHERE ARE U.S. TROOPS?

When the announcers thank U.S. troops for watching sporting events from 175 countries, do you ever wonder which 175 countries those are? Have a look:

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And here are nations where the United States has waged war or militarily “intervened” in a major way since World War II:

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Below are countries that are party to the treaty banning cluster bombs:

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The colorful map below is created using the data of GoodCountry.org which seeks (in ways that are certainly debatable) to quantify how good a country is as a neighbor to the rest of the world. This map looks just at the GoodCountry.org rankings in the area of peace and demilitarization. In this map, bright pink is best, and dark green is worst. This data comes from 2011 when Egypt was experiencing an Arab Spring. Libya had not yet been attacked by NATO. An update might alter some of these rankings. They are still worth examining, and worth comparing with GoodCountry’s other categories and overall rankings.

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Finally, here is a map of nations that have banned nuclear weapons and joined nuclear weapons free zones:

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Many more maps, lots more text and all the sourcing is at the link.

Trump, when asked about Putin, says US isn't 'so innocent'

Imagine the screeching if Obama had said that. Pretty obnoxious and stupid of President* Trump to say it in defense of Putin, but he has a point.
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Countries Buying the Most Weapons From the US Government

The U.S. government sent nearly $10 billion worth of military vehicles and weapons systems to foreign governments last year. The United States is easily the largest exporter of arms in the world, surpassing other producers such as Russia and China by billions of dollars each year.

In the past five years, more than 100 nations have directly purchased aircraft, ships, armored vehicles, and missiles from the U.S. government. When excluding those nations that are not under international embargo, relatively few countries are left out of American arms deals. A few others, however, receive a disproportionately large share of American weapons. Thirteen countries accounted for almost 70% of U.S. 2016 arms exports. Saudi Arabia, a major U.S. partner in the Middle East, received almost 20% of total U.S. weapons exports....

These are the countries buying the most weapons from the U.S. government.

13. United Kingdom ...
12. Egypt ...
11. Morocco ...
10. Mexico ...
9. Japan ...
8. South Korea ...
7. Italy ...
6. Israel ...
5. Qatar ...
4. UAE ...
3. Australia ...
2. Iraq ...
1. Saudi Arabia ...
7 of them in the Middle East/North Africa. Pax Romana >>>>> War Americana. Serve the merchants of death, nothing else matters.
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Officials Have Yet to See Intelligence Gained in Deadly Yemen Raid, Report Says

U.S. officials claim that no significant intelligence has yet been revealed after a Special Forces raid in Yemen last month that turned into a chaotic firefight, taking the life of one Navy SEAL and possibly dozens of civilians, including children.

The botched mission on Jan. 29, authorized by President Donald Trump just days after his inauguration, had been in the works for months, but former President Barack Obama declined to carry it out under his term, NBC News reports.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters in early February that the U.S. had acquired an “unbelievable amount of intelligence that will prevent the potential deaths or attacks on American soil.”

An NBC News exclusive report, however, said that while the White House and the Pentagon have both claimed the raid was a success, several senior officials who spoke with the network have seen no evidence of valuable intelligence....

According to NBC, Pentagon officials have said that “actionable intelligence” was collected during the operation, but news outlets including NBC and CNN report that the agency has to date released only one video clip that later proved to be nearly a decade old and already publicly available.

Officials said at the time that the video was made public to demonstrate that materials obtained during the raid were valuable. The video was quickly removed after it was found to be obsolete, and a Pentagon official said the Central Command was fully responsibility for its release.

... Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens of SEAL Team 6, died during the raid, and the Pentagon acknowledged that several civilians were likely killed in the crossfire.

A report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism said the casualties totaled 25, including nine children, a number that has not been disputed by the Pentagon.

According to USA Today, three military probes are now underway to address some of the questions surrounding the raid; Owens’ death, civilian casualties and the loss of a valuable Osprey aircraft.
I don't blame Trump much for the raid, he is brand new and clearly relied on Pentagon officials. However, we can blame him for the lies about it.
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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On travel bans: Instead of refugees coming out, look at weapons going in
U.S. Leads Rising Global Arms Trade

Fueled by armed conflicts in the Middle East and tensions in Asia, global trade in major conventional weapons systems has reached its highest level since the end of the Cold War, according to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

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The United States remains the world’s top arms exporter, as it has been since 1990, with Russia as the perennial number two in the most recent period analyzed by SIPRI. Together, the two countries account for more than half of global exports. China, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom each recorded about 5 percent of global exports, rounding out the top six of 57 countries identified as exporters. Although exporting is relatively concentrated among a few countries, only India and Saudi Arabia took more than a 5 percent share of global trade among 155 identified arms importing states....

Mideast Top Region for U.S.

During the 2012-2016 period, the United States offered a wide array of weaponry and services and made deliveries to at least 100 countries. In that time, U.S. exports accounted for 33 percent of global arms exports and grew by 21 percent from the previous five-year period. More highly sophisticated systems accounted for some of that increase, including missile defense systems and long-range airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems.

Image

Although Washington sold to a global market, states in the Middle East received nearly half (47 percent) of U.S. arms transfers. With the region mired in multiple conflicts, arms imports by countries there grew by 86 percent in the past five years, far outpacing the growth of any other region. Saudi Arabia imported 212 percent more major weaponry than in the previous five-year period. Other countries in the region also significantly increased their imports.

A Dec. 2016 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report and U.S. arms sales notifications indicate that the Middle East will continue to be a major market for U.S. weapons. Under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, Congress was notified of nearly $63 billion in potential agreements in 2016. More than two-thirds of the value of those deals was with Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE for fighter aircraft, helicopters, tanks, missiles, bombs, and other weapons (see chart). In the first days of the Trump administration, Congress was notified of another combined $1.04 billion in potential FMS agreements with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia....

U.S. and European sales to the Middle East have also been controversial, especially those to Saudi Arabia, which is conducting a war in Yemen during which hospitals and other civilian areas have been bombed. In September, 27 U.S. senators voted for a resolution to block a proposed $1.2 billion sale of tanks and other equipment to Riyadh. (See ACT, October 2016.) ...
I don't think it's possible for any theoretical terrorists to cause as much killing as we have.
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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March 8, 2017 - U.S. Voters Say Sessions Lied And Should Resign, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For Immigrant 'path To Citizenship' At New High

American voters support 90 - 8 percent increased federal spending for infrastructure, but oppose 51 - 45 percent a $54 billion increase in defense spending.
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BBC: Small drone 'shot with Patriot missile'
A Patriot missile - usually priced at about $3m (£2.5m) - was used to shoot down a small quadcopter drone, according to a US general.

The strike was made by a US ally, Gen David Perkins told a military symposium.

"That quadcopter that cost 200 bucks from Amazon.com did not stand a chance against a Patriot," he said.
[...]
However, Gen Perkins suggested deploying large surface-to-air missiles as a defence was probably not economically wise.

"I'm not sure that's a good economic exchange ratio," he told an audience at the Association of the United States Army's Global Force symposium in Alabama.

"In fact, if I'm the enemy, I'm thinking, 'Hey, I'm just gonna get on eBay and buy as many of these $300 quadcopters as I can and expend all the Patriot missiles out there'."

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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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rstrong wrote:BBC: Small drone 'shot with Patriot missile'
A Patriot missile - usually priced at about $3m (£2.5m) - was used to shoot down a small quadcopter drone, according to a US general.

The strike was made by a US ally, Gen David Perkins told a military symposium.

"That quadcopter that cost 200 bucks from Amazon.com did not stand a chance against a Patriot," he said.
[...]
However, Gen Perkins suggested deploying large surface-to-air missiles as a defence was probably not economically wise.

"I'm not sure that's a good economic exchange ratio," he told an audience at the Association of the United States Army's Global Force symposium in Alabama.

"In fact, if I'm the enemy, I'm thinking, 'Hey, I'm just gonna get on eBay and buy as many of these $300 quadcopters as I can and expend all the Patriot missiles out there'."
They're like cops- if you buy them toys, they're gonna play with them.
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Petition to congressional Democratic leaders:

"Oppose Trump’s handout to war profiteers by increasing military spending, and offer a clear alternative to instead invest in American health, prosperity and security while cutting wasteful military spending."
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Canada is buying a small number of F/A-18 Super Hornets as a stopgap until the F-35 is ready. But this guy's alternatives don't make a lot of sense.

Even the Super Hornets have problems. Modernize old fighters, and they'll have new problems too.

The F-16 *was* inexpensive. That was then. Now it's so expensive that new F-35s look like a better value than even used F-16s.

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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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The Bradley Fighting Vehicle, M1 Tank, Apache Helicopter and Osprey were all known as utter fiascos much like the F-35. All turned into excellent products once the bugs were worked out.

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Could be, but if there had been honesty about the challenges and costs of any of them up front we might have chosen to spend our money on even more "excellent products" than they are. It's not just the price tag, it's also the lost opportunities. Give me unlimited money and I can turn almost anything into something useful.

My impression has long been that the Center for Defense Information, now at the Project On Government Oversight, is a very credible source.
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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50 years ago:

“I am here tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice ...

Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.”

“We still have a choice today, nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. We must find new ways to speak for peace and justice throughout the developing world a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act we shall be dragged down the long dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.”

“Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter – but beautiful – struggle for a new world. Shall we say the odds are too great? Shall we tell them the struggle is too hard? The choice is ours, and though we might prefer it otherwise we must choose in this crucial moment of human history.”


-- Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4, 1967, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence”, Riverside Church in New York City

Assassinated exactly 1 year later.
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
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Re: Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

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Before it was co-opted by Hallmark and FTD:
Mother's Day Proclamation

This powerful Proclamation was made by Julia Ward Howe in the advocacy for the need of official celebration of Mother's Day in Boston, United States of America in 1870. Miss Howe was the first person in US to recognize the need for Mother's Day holiday. She was successful in raising awareness amongst the masses and pushing her plead to the upper echelons of power.

Following this very potent Proclamation made in 1870, the Mothers' Peace Day Observance was held on the second Sunday in June, 1872. Such observances began to take place each year thereafter and paved the way for Mother's Day Holiday in US on the second Sunday of May.

Though Ms Howe could not herself get the day recognized as the official holiday, she is revered for her significant contributions towards the celebration of the day and for bestowing honor on mothers.

Julia Ward Howe is also famous as the writer of the Civil War song, 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic'.


Mother's Day Proclamation

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be of water or of tears! Say firmly: "We will not have questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us reeking of carnage for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy, and patience. We women of one country will be too tender to those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own. It says "Disarm! Disarm!" The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.

As men have forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after his time the sacred impress not of Caesar, but of God.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
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