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1990 US Desert Storm armed forces vs 2025 US armed forces: Who wins?

Posted on 8/11/25 at 6:45 pm
Posted by weagle1999
Member since May 2025
1545 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 6:45 pm
Some people say the 1990 US military assembled for Desert Storm was the most powerful ever. Larger force than today’s military.

30 years later the 2025 US military has tech more advanced than 1990.

Who wins if they fought each other at peak strength? No nukes allowed.

They each come from a period correct ‘US’ on opposite sides of an ocean.






This post was edited on 8/11/25 at 7:12 pm
Posted by TigerTatorTots
The Safeshore
Member since Jul 2009
82004 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 6:48 pm to
I'd say today's tech vastly upgrades 2025 armed forces no matter how much more advanced the 1990 human was
Posted by TT9
Global warming
Member since Sep 2008
89973 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 6:48 pm to
quote:

Who wins if they fought each other


quote:

2025 US military has tech
because of this and it ain't even close.
Posted by Jcorye1
Tom Brady = GoAT
Member since Dec 2007
76373 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 6:49 pm to
1990 Armed Forces wouldn't have a reliable counter to drones if I had to guess, and you gotta think the US has the capability to put up some absolutely nasty swarms mixed with other new tech.
Posted by geauxEdO
Member since Aug 2017
93 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 6:49 pm to
2025 armed forces wins easily and doesn’t need to deploy a single foot soldier. military tech has advanced so much over the past 35 years.
Posted by Yaboylsu63
Member since Mar 2014
2946 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 6:51 pm to
This isn’t really even close.
Today’s military would win fairly easily due to massively advanced tech compared to 35 years ago
Posted by SlowFlowPro
With populists, expect populism
Member since Jan 2004
463673 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 6:57 pm to
The question would be how many F22s it would take to destroy the 1990 military, and that's 20 year old tech
Posted by Lgrnwd
Member since Jan 2018
8111 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:00 pm to
Posted by Jetstream 2000
Member since Jan 2021
265 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:01 pm to
1990 military was twice the size of 2025 military so that probably gives them the edge.
Posted by GeauxGutsy
Member since Jul 2017
5835 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:02 pm to
2025 by a mile.

The Veterans from the 1990’s are all drawing 100% disability.
Posted by Wraytex
San Antonio - Gonzales
Member since Jun 2020
3410 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:10 pm to
Posted by Darth_Vader
A galaxy far, far away
Member since Dec 2011
71734 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:11 pm to
Desert Storm was my time. I was a tanker. Having said that, asking if the armed forces I served in would beat the armed forces of today is like asking if the armed forces from Vietnam could beat the armed forces of Desert Storm. Or if the armed forces from WWII could beat the armed forces from Vietnam.

It’s simply not comparable. The technology advances too much in over three decades.

Now if you want to ask about professionalism, discipline, and level of training, that’s a different question. And without a doubt we were far more professional, more disciplined, and better trained in general. But you have to remember, we were just coming out of the Cold War where we’d been training for a WWIII that we expected to start at anytime. We were well trained in fighting a large-scale combined arms war against a much larger combined arms foe.

Today’s military has spent the last 20 years training to fight low-intensity conflicts against irregular forces. That training has begun to shift back to large-scale combined arms warfare. But it will take years to really build the force back to where it was in 1990.
Posted by HeadCall
Member since Feb 2025
5715 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:13 pm to
2025 beats 1990 but 1990 USA still beats the rest of the planet except maybe China.
Posted by SuperSaint
Sorting Out OT BS Since '2007'
Member since Sep 2007
147702 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:14 pm to
quote:

Who wins?
no way you’re serious with this question
Posted by SloaneRanger
Upper Hurstville
Member since Jan 2014
12415 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:17 pm to
Depends on the nature of the conflict and what the objectives are. Agree that today’s military could wreak havoc on a number of different levels. But if you had to take and hold ground it may be more evenly matched.
Posted by Darth_Vader
A galaxy far, far away
Member since Dec 2011
71734 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:19 pm to
quote:

2025 beats 1990 but 1990 USA still beats the rest of the planet except maybe China.


VII Corps, the main spearhead of Desert Storm, is still the largest and most powerful American armored force ever assembled.

Posted by RougeDawg
Member since Jul 2016
7259 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:20 pm to
1990 military PowerPoint briefing skills were lacking.
Posted by Lawyered
The Sip
Member since Oct 2016
36597 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:24 pm to
2025 army would slayyyyyyyyy
Posted by LemmyLives
Texas
Member since Mar 2019
12734 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:29 pm to
The tech is less of a factor than the upgrades in nutrition and general human performance. I love an Iowa class for sure, but the alcoholics (combat arms) of 2025 would smoke the 90s bros.
Posted by Darth_Vader
A galaxy far, far away
Member since Dec 2011
71734 posts
Posted on 8/11/25 at 7:29 pm to
quote:

1990 military PowerPoint briefing skills were lacking.


Most of the briefings I had involved maps that looked like this…



And instead of laser pointers, they used grease pencils.
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