Military, Army and War - Military Down Sizing and the Fall of a Great N

Military Down Sizing:   The Possible Fall of a Great Nation       America is one the most powerful nations in the world.   Being a strong nation includes having a strong military as well as economy.   As one can observe, the U. S. economy is growing by leaps and bounds.   However, the military is being down sized, and if we do not do something about it, it will continue to be down sized until we have an armed force that will no longer be capable of protecting this great nation.   Not only will this down sizing affect our ability to protect ourselves, it will also cause a substantial loss in economic strength and power abroad.   Because military down sizing lessens our power abroad, opens the United States up to a possible invasion, and hurts our economy, the military must be maintained in order to ensure a strong, healthy nation both abroad and on the home front for many centuries to come.    Military down sizing is increasing at a rapid rate.   This down sizing is primarily due to budget cuts.   Since the peak of Korean war spending in 1953, military spending has declined in twenty-five of the last thirty-seven years.   The build up for Vietnam was short and followed by an equivalent build down.   The Carter-Reagan buildup was longer but smaller than the one for Vietnam, and is currently being succeeded by a new build down (Brauer 299).   If history keeps repeating itself, the United States military will continue to build up and then hinder this build up with an even greater build down.   As a result the U.S. sustains a weaker more vulnerable armed force.    The military's inability to provide its men and women with sufficient transportation is also a problem caused by budget cuts.   Many military trucks represent technolo... ...must always be ready for the least expected.       Works Cited    Brauer, Jurgen, and Manas Chatterji, eds.   Economic Issues of Disarmament.   New York:   New York University Press, 1993. Federation of American Scientists.   Ed. Marcus Corbin. "The New Threats Argument."   February 2000.   27 February 2000  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  <http://www.fas.org/pub/gen/mswg/msbb/new.html>. Hinkle, Jeffrey J.   "Funding the New, Fixing the Old holds the Future for Tactical Trucks."   National Defense 82 (1997-1998): 32-34. Kaminski, Paul G.   "Building a Ready Force for the 21st Century."   Defense Issues 11 (1996): 1-4. Rosello, Lieutenant Colonel Victor M.   "Predicting the Unpredictable."   Military Review 75 (1994-1995): 127-129. Sandler, Todd, and Keith Hartley, eds.   The Economics of Defense.   New York:   Cambridge University Press, 1995.