Delupe

Absolutely agree...These are just a few of the Army air defense artillery programs cancelled because they failed to meet the needs of the military or became too costly during development: SLAMRAAM (Raytheon), JLENS (Raytheon) (Elevated Sensor), MEADS (Lockheed-Martin) (Multi-National Program with several European countries) IFPC (Indirect Fire Protection Capability. Program initially ended because missiles were not containerized...flawed design concept), M-SHORAD Directed Energy (Lockheed-Martin), etc. Billions of dollars wasted...basically, just high paid contractor welfare....no capability delivered to soldiers. Didn't even touch existing programs like IBCS (Northrup Grumman) that's literally a decade behind schedule, barely better than what's out there today, and has cost the Army nearly a billion dollars a year since inception two decade ago. You are spot on...the defense industry has lost its end.

To get the results needed, the populace must be willing to eradicate the brand through legitimate means. We did it to Germany after WWII...tried and executed the Nazi leadership, banned all Nazi affiliations (political, social, economic), and basically, crushed Nazi doctrine from ever rising again. Same applies to militarism in Japan. El Salvador did the same...jailing gang leaders and foot soldiers & taking away their ability to influence society, wiping out gang resources, cleansing gang symbolism around the country, and cracking down heavily on anyone trying to re-instill any facet of organized crime. Bottomline,to achieve systemic change in the U.S., we must move beyond reactive policing and adopt a strategy of total eradication—much like the successful dismantling of Nazi doctrine in post-war Germany or the recent neutralizing of gang influence in El Salvador. This approach requires not just suppressing crime, but legally and socially delegitimizing the "brand" and ideology behind it.

Quote " That is nothing to do with the government. Parents are responsible for feeding their children."

Ultimately, yes. But the Gov't also understands it's in the collective's best interest of the nation to help those lacking the means to do so. Same applies to public education, health care, safety, and other forms of assistance. Basically, it's highlighted in the preamble to the Constitution...."Promote the General Welfare".

Quote: How much have we wasted on SNAP?

Howdy, were you aware in fiscal year 2023, children under 18 accounted for approximately 39% of all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. Overall, 79% of SNAP households include a child, elderly individual, or person with a disability. Not a perfect program by any means and shame on those that abuse the system, but it does help many that are less fortunate and destitute in the country. No one should go to bed hungry in a country as rich as ours. Gig'em!

No, but I just did. It think these so called experts are the same ones that write books describing l00 ways to make love, but are still virgins. Even though airpower is the operational center of gravity of any war in the Pacific, launching a surprise attack against U.S. assets would galvanize the US populace like 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. China's long-term ambition is to challenge USA dominance in the Pacific. Taiwan's geographic location severely limits Pacific access and basically keeps it restricted like a cork in a bottle; China will retake Taiwan for this reason. China's best course of action is a complete naval blockade and quarantine of the island...nothing gets in or out. We overcame a similar Soviet tactic in 1947 with the Berlin Airlift. Today, I doubt that would work. It would definitely put our Strategic Ambiguity doctrine to the test and potentially make us and our Allies the aggressors, in the eyes of the Chinese people, if we use force against the blockade.

Mutual Assured Destruction does not work with leadership that has a suicide bomber mentality. You can never allow them to obtain the the means of carrying out their deepest conviction which is the destruction of Israel.

Daddy always said: "A rich man has unlimited friends, a poor man very few". Iran's influence in the region goes to zilch without resources from its illegal oil exports.

Btw, Iran made a strategic mistake during negotiations implying they were near the 60% threshold of enrichment. Basically, they created an existential crisis for both Israel and the US. Vowing over and over that you would use a WMD, without regard against your sworn enemies, and then stating you were nearing completion of the capability is pretty threatening. If Iran was using it as ploy to extract money from the U.S. as it had previously under Democratic administrations, we will never know. Absent paying blackmail, the US and Israel had no choice but to eliminate the threatening regime and its military capabilities for executing the threat.

Quote: "Can't figure the strategic need of this island"

It's the hub of Iran's oil industry...the primary source of the regime's finances. It is a warning shot to play nice or we will collapse your economy.

Quote: 1) Did you read my response?

2) You think I'm going to engage you in a meaningful discussion?

Answer: 1) No!!

2). I had my doubts that you were capable of saying anything meaningful; now I'm sure. :doublebird:

She reviews all contracts over $5M and blessed the Justification & Approval which allowed a non-competitive contract award outside the normal process. Basically, she verified that no one else in the USA had the expertise to make commercials. We all know why she wanted the contract to get awarded to a specific vendor...let's not look for a reason to justify her poor decision.

Did you forget to pay your cable bill again? Damn. Or did your health insurance, grocery or gas bill rise so high you couldn't afford it. You do realize that in China, Cuba, Laos, N.Korea, and Cambodia news is free to everyone.