re: Veteran dies with maggots in his wounds

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no conscription. just reduce the size drastically

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then tell me what you're going to cut?

from mid 1980s end strength, the Army has basically been cut in half (active component), and the reserve component around 30%...

the reserve component is now an operational reserve, not a strategic one...a reservist can expect to be called up at least once during a 6 year enlistment...

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How good or bad they are doesn't really answer the question of why they need to be separate though. It just doesn't make sense why it is even necessary.

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I agree David. I stated that the VA was top notch at one time. It has been eroded down to an "Immediate Med" that gives out Viagra.
It should be separate if they aren't gonna do better than that.

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f35

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No.

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Gross mismanagement

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Yes. It isn't "needed" in any way shape or form. The only advantage that aircraft would have brought to our military was lost when the US brokered deals to sell it across the world. Not that having the F35 makes a bit of difference in the USGs ability to fight and win wars. None whatsoever. At all.

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Japan

Will never happen

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None of this will ever happen until it does.

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Too vital in deterrence of potential North Korea and China action

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What deters those countries is the knowledge that the US military would destroy them the instant they became hostile in a shooting war. Japan has no bearing on the outcome.

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South Korea has a massive US Army force on the DMZ and USAF at Osan if you're willing to risk destabilization.

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It's gotta happen sooner or later. I hear a lot of these theories as to why we have to keep all these bases active, but I see very little practical explanation as to why they must remain. It's a lot of "well china...welllllll North Korea, but no nuts and bolts explanation of how or why these bases defend America in any way. Arguably, they are liabilities that increase the possibility of war as much as they are deterrents. I think we have plenty of examples of that being the case historically.

Besides, we are broke. The biggest danger to the USG is not war. It's the cost of war and the cost of maintaining a "war footing" that is killing us to the tune of trillions. This thread demonstrates at least one of the various orders of effect from decision to keep these bases open.

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We also pour tons of money into exercises to train other nations militaries and provide humanitarian aid in civil military operations approved by DSCA. Most people want to cut that.

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These exercises are perhaps the only useful function of the DODs expansive international operations. The US military, according to title 10, does not conduct humanitarian aid, Medical Civic Action Plans (MEDCAPS) or military training exercises without having an explicit benefit to the department as a primary goal. It is against congressional approval to conduct any of these for the sole purpose of benefiting a foreign nation. the old standby phrase was "51% for us". There are some limited instances in which HN capability building are authorized, but those are not the majority of instances. JCETS form the majority of overseas training operations, with CNTs and JATs (potential for capability building) forming another significant portion. The large scale exercises like Cobra Gold are maneuver exercises the value of which is unknown to me as I never participated in one.

Knowing the operational environment, foreign military leaders and governments, and having first hand knowledge and understanding are invaluable tools for contingencies. These exercises need to be scaled down massively in some cases, but the vast majority of the dozens that we run each year are not large scale and fulfill their stated purpose quite nicely. They also keep the rust off. Training and situational awareness is not where I would cut the DOD.

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Why does the VA have its own healthcare system?

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Something else we can thank Lincoln for.

This should be on the news 24/7 until people wake up. How sad! The SJWs don't seem to really care about things as important as this.