General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI wish to discuss the closing of bases around the world
there are a few vital bases we need, but our military spending is more than half our budget and I am in touch with soldiers all over the world and they say they do nothing and are disliked.What do we get from these bases, are they worth the cost and bad will?
What do you think.
just fyi, I was national guard and raised an army brat, lived on a few of those bases myself as a child
braddy
(3,585 posts)larkrake
(1,674 posts)Response to larkrake (Reply #2)
braddy This message was self-deleted by its author.
braddy
(3,585 posts)larkrake
(1,674 posts)braddy
(3,585 posts)TipTok
(2,474 posts)Most bases I've been to or lived at overseas, the military is strongly tied to the community and my Soldiers were always too busy to even catch their breathe.
braddy
(3,585 posts)larkrake
(1,674 posts)TipTok
(2,474 posts)They so will I...
Yes...
Chuuku Davis
(565 posts)It is about 16%
larkrake
(1,674 posts)who get billions and turn around and contract private companies to run the bases all over the world. It is well over 50 % according to recent charts and is growing every year.
1939
(1,683 posts)I joined the Army in 1961. At that time, we had five divisions and three armored cavalry regiments in Germany (plus the Berlin Brigade), two divisions in Korea, a brigade in Panama, and nuclear task forces in Italy and Turkey.
Today, we have the equivalent of two brigades in Germany, one in Italy, one in Korea, and one in Afghanistan.
While we have more "bases" around the world, in many case, these are signals and intelligence outposts or airfield service groups.
larkrake
(1,674 posts)I looked up some stats. We have 700-800 military bases throughout the world. The 30 NATO bases are politically necessary.
According to these stats, the asia, south america and mid east bases are there to control those countrie's resources (oil and NG mostly), and to promote Capitalism. These are not my words. So we press our religion (capitalism) and steal from those countries. Most of these bases perform no military objectives or "help" them. Our bases in the Middle East solve no problems or terrorism, their presence and pushing capitalism actually creates conflicts.We have no business being there in bases. We would do better with just intelligence and mercs- now called "contractor assassins" to eliminate terrorists.
Bases cost alot of money and equipment. Yes, if we close them , we cannot steal from countries anymore. Our Military Complex has always been out of control (Air America, Nam, Panama.....) but now it is costing us money and standing. These stats were from 2007. I shudder to think what is happening today.
1939
(1,683 posts)have more than fifty men in them? You are talking like each of these bases is the equivalent in military strength to Fort Bragg or Fort Hood. A ten man Air Force weather station in Lower Slobbovia counts as a "base". I am not sure how that imposes capitalism or steals from the country in which it is located.
Downwinder
(12,869 posts)have the knowledge to evaluate it.