Best militaries in the world

[Koga]

countries top that each year. it just isnt guaranteed. see iraq: 200 billion and counting

Iraq's a problem we made, so it really can't be held up as an example.

[eee]

again, cite me a source.  some kind of website, a book, whatever.

http://www.wrmea.com/html/us_aid_to_israel.htm

Koga, just so you know, that website is run by, what most people find to be, a pro-islamic/palistinian think tank, which isnt to say that the numbers are wrong... but take them with a LOT of salt.

[eee]

countries top that each year. it just isnt guaranteed. see iraq: 200 billion and counting

Iraq's a problem we made, so it really can't be held up as an example.

1) why cant it be held up as an example? just becuase its a "problem we made" does not negate the fact that it is still costing us 200 billion

2) fine, then how about the 75 billion for afghanistan?

[Koga]

Koga, just so you know, that website is run by, what most people find to be, a pro-islamic/palistinian think tank, which isnt to say that the numbers are wrong... but take them with a LOT of salt.

It was the first thing my search turned up, but I imagine the numbers are accurate.  But i'd dismiss all the writing/editorials as pure propaganda.  Also, since the number lumps grants in loans together, it's kind of misleading.  It would be more telling if it had the numbers for grants alone.

[Koga]

1) why cant it be held up as an example? just becuase its a "problem we made" does not negate the fact that it is still costing us 200 billion

2) fine, then how about the 75 billion for afghanistan?

If you get *&^% faced at a friend's house and puke in his kitchen, you'd better clean up the mess.

Afghanistan, well that's different since they made it neccessary for us to invade them.

[Garbled]

Koga, just so you know, that website is run by, what most people find to be, a pro-islamic/palistinian think tank, which isnt to say that the numbers are wrong... but take them with a LOT of salt.

It was the first thing my search turned up, but I imagine the numbers are accurate.  But i'd dismiss all the writing/editorials as pure propaganda.  Also, since the number lumps grants in loans together, it's kind of misleading.  It would be more telling if it had the numbers for grants alone.

I think that they are mostly grants. I know that the bombs that we just gave them to take out irans nuclear sites were an early x-mas present - $318 million.

[Stroopwafel]

Which country has the best, most efficiently trained soldiers in the world?

The USA is obviously number one, but after that, Israel, the UK, and South Korea come to mind.

If your criteria for "best" is efficently trained, prepared, etc. then I would agree with the United States being number 1.

We have technology, mobility, flexibility, and options with respect to the mission each branch operates in. I feel that we also hold back most of the time in order to prevent collateral damage and the negative blowback from that. If we simply made it clear that we, as a country, could care less about collateral damage, and made it policy then I'd say that few would @#!* with us at all. Our morality and the outrage of our citizenry prevents us from say bombing a city block flat with a daisy-cutter should there be one single innocent non-combatant present.

The UK is also solid for historically good training, high success rate. Diversity of forces, esprit de corps.

China - for mere mass. Massive numerical advantage can trump a lot. Good technology, I suspect that rigorous adherence to the party line kills some initiative. But China is still scary and the current century is being predicted to be a Chinese Hegemony much in the same way that 19th cent was Britain, and the 20th was the US.

India/Pakistan - Mostly because these two have been at each other's throats for so long that they have had good practice killing each other, and can learn from their mistakes. Too bad they can't stick to cricket. The world would be a lot more secure.

Russia - Technology, mass. The Balkanization of the old Soviet knocks them down a touch, but the old Soviet Union/Warsaw Pact was the monster under our beds for the longest time.

As far as the rest? It's hard to say how efficiently they are trained. Especially if you take the country as a whole. Conventional forces are all basically the same. But each country has some real hard special forces that could match up with the rest pretty well. Particularly those that are trained for one specific mission. It would be interesting to read a discussion of various Special Forces around the world.

[GentleTim]

Ummm, China anyone?

They're big, but still technologically under-equiped.  Give them another 10 years and they'll be the second most fearsome military in the world.

And hopefully not interested in fighting over Taiwan.

[GentleTim]

For all their awesomeness, neither South Korea nor Israel can last a day without that helping hand from uncle sam.

I don't know... Israel is pretty dettached from the US.  I mean sure they buy some of our weapons, but hell who doesn't?

if by "detached" you mean billions in aid each year.......

yeah they are pretty detached.

They get the same aid package that Egypt does, and you don't exactly see Egypt ripping it up...

[Stroopwafel]

I don't know how much physical, monetary support Israel gets from the US, but since we back them they get an enormous amount of pull.

What happens to Israeli policy in the Middle East if Uncle Sam decides to turn his back on Israel and tells them that they are basically on their own.

How does American support of Israel benefit the United States politically, economically, or militarily?

If anyone we should becomes pals with China just to offset the coming European political block that is starting have a policy of estrangement with US world leadership.