While we are busy cutting our military budget the Russians are following the lead of the Chinese and building up.
Moscow – The graying bear is getting a make-over. Russia’s military is launching its biggest rearmament effort since Soviet times, including a $650 billion program to procure 1,000 new helicopters, 600 combat planes, 100 warships, and 8 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
Analysts say Russia, while already the world’s fifth-largest military spender, needs strong conventional forces to reduce its overreliance on its aging Soviet-era nuclear missile deterrent. Valentin Rudenko, director of the independent Interfax-Military News Agency, says it could create “a whole new ballgame.”
Yeah a ball game where we decided to sit out a few innings. We already canceled the F-22 and the real concern is whether we will support the F-35 program now that it is our main fighter. There are plenty of folks in Congress salivating over the size of the program and dreaming of all the other things they could spend that money on. We also need to make sure we have enough of those big floating boats they land them on too. Now as much as I like spending cuts, it is not healthy to emasculate our ability to deter our enemies.
It would be naive to pretend that a Russia run by Putin is not a threat or that the Chinese will not take advantage of the leverage they have due to well owning us. We need to make the commitment to maintain the dominant military that keeps us all safe.
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