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Does the US have what it takes to fight... and win... a war?

Does the US have what it takes to fight... and win... a war?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 11 50.0%
  • The people do, the politicians don't.

    Votes: 1 4.5%
  • No.

    Votes: 10 45.5%

  • Total voters
    22

radcen

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Does the US have what it takes to fight... and win... a war?

Intestinal fortitude. Guts.

I'm purposely leaving out an "other" option.
 
Given the right war, yes. Americans don't seem to have the will to stick out conflicts that intend to merely stabilize other countries or serve our long term interests, but a fight against a legitimate threat (domestically) would probably (hopefully) unite the large majority of Americans behind a war effort.
 
Agreed with a351, if we put our minds to it we get the same result as WWII, a major asswhooping delivered to our opponents.

If we hate it we get a Vietnam war.
 
It depends on what you mean by a war. If you're talking about being the bully on the beach, which is what we've done recently, then sure. We never fight anyone who can actually fight back, we have weapons designed to fight the Russians during the Cold War, we don't fight anyone with nukes, we don't fight anyone with advanced military weapons, we go after people with surplus weapons that have no chance whatsoever against us.

In a fair fight, with equivalent weapons, Americans don't have the balls. The first time you saw a field-full of body bags coming home on TV, we'd want to pull out. We don't understand a fair fight, we don't want to engage in them.
 
It depends on what you mean by a war. If you're talking about being the bully on the beach, which is what we've done recently, then sure. We never fight anyone who can actually fight back, we have weapons designed to fight the Russians during the Cold War, we don't fight anyone with nukes, we don't fight anyone with advanced military weapons, we go after people with surplus weapons that have no chance whatsoever against us.

In a fair fight, with equivalent weapons, Americans don't have the balls. The first time you saw a field-full of body bags coming home on TV, we'd want to pull out. We don't understand a fair fight, we don't want to engage in them.

Refer to WW2 and my previous post.
 
Does the US have what it takes to fight... and win... a war?

Intestinal fortitude. Guts.

I'm purposely leaving out an "other" option.

I really do not know.
 
In a fair fight, with equivalent weapons, Americans don't have the balls. The first time you saw a field-full of body bags coming home on TV, we'd want to pull out. We don't understand a fair fight, we don't want to engage in them.

I don't think it's a matter of courage. I think it's a matter of stakes. There aren't any that can be won in war. There's no evil empire to fight. There's no real military threat that the industrialized world wouldn't curbstomp is parts of itself, and there's really no reason for such people to go to war. The only way we could fight a "real" war at this point would be to start one, and then we would be the evil empire. Or extraterrestrials, I guess.
 
Fair fight?


Who the **** wants that? When it's your life on the line, no one.

Do we have the balls for a straight up, REAL war? If we're actually threatened, by an actual, real threat which can only be dealt with best by engaging in open war...you bet we have the stomach for it. No doubt in my mind.
 
Fair fight?


Who the **** wants that? When it's your life on the line, no one.

Do we have the balls for a straight up, REAL war? If we're actually threatened, by an actual, real threat which can only be dealt with best by engaging in open war...you bet we have the stomach for it. No doubt in my mind.

Eaxactly, WWII... Some would argue Germany was even stronger than us from certain aspects...
 
The OP question is incredibly vague.

Fight a war against whom?

Against the whole world - no.

Against any single country - yes.

Against a combination of countries - depends on the combination.


Having said that - America's economics are a semi-mess and getting messier.

Unless she gets her economic house in order, she will not enjoy that world supremacy for many more decades to come, imo.
 
The OP question is incredibly vague.

Fight a war against whom?

Against the whole world - no.

Against any single country - yes.

Against a combination of countries - depends on the combination.

Also, do we have allies? (which we inevitably will have in almost every war scenario)
 
Does the US have what it takes to fight... and win... a war?

Intestinal fortitude. Guts.

I'm purposely leaving out an "other" option.


Nope.We have the equipment and men to win a war.But suits in D.C. with the aid of the media who has no interest in the war being won will screw it up.
 
Does the US have what it takes to fight... and win... a war?

Intestinal fortitude. Guts.

I'm purposely leaving out an "other" option.

There's been no evidence that we can since WWII. So I guess the only logical answer is no.
 
Nope.We have the equipment and men to win a war.But suits in D.C. with the aid of the media who has no interest in the war being won will screw it up.

The media is not that much of a player, more of a pawn of the DC suits who are pawns of the MIC who are the REAL ones who don't want wars won because they want them to go on forever in some form or fashion.
 
Does the US have what it takes to fight... and win... a war?

Intestinal fortitude. Guts.

I'm purposely leaving out an "other" option.

It depends, if the country does not see an immediate threat, then they will be soft in conflicts labeled as preventative conflicts. American's throughout history are known to wait until the last minute to realize the situation the rest of the world is in is a threat to America. Most Americans could care less about what happens to people in other countries, unless of course our guys are dieing to protect them. We preach loudly of human rights and pretend to sigh heavily at the plight of others around the world, but won't lift a finger to help them. To us, we believe if we send some money and some band aids, that is enough. When we try to do the right thing and send in our military to protect the people from their governments and dictators, all it takes is a few of our guys to be killed and for the anti-war media to start churning and we pull back faster then France during WW2. In the end, leaving the people in an even worse condition then before our intervention.

If we are immediately attacked, our military will crush and decimate any other standing military in the world. I would even go as far to say that we could probably take on the world as a whole and be quite successful. Our limiting factor would be being overpowered simply by being outnumbered. Even as small as our military is today, I still don't think there is a military or combination of militaries that could militarily defeat the United States.

However, the United States can be defeated in small battles that they don't have their hearts in easily. The Militants know this very well and use the US media and the internal groups within America (Anti-War groups) to defeat the US military via propaganda. It is a very good tactic and one that is working all over the Middle East. The uneducated, ignorant and highly emotionally sensitive American minds are easily swayed by propaganda abroad. This is the best weapon to defeat America in any small conflict.
 
Refer to WW2 and my previous post.

We massacred countless civilians in that war, and engaged in a total effort that included control by the government over civil society. Today's populace is not willing to go through that for anything short of (maybe) an actual invasion of CONUS.
 
Does the US have what it takes to fight... and win... a war?

Intestinal fortitude. Guts.

I'm purposely leaving out an "other" option.


the military most certainly has the guts to win a war.

the "people" and the civilian leadership?... not a chance in hell.
 
Depends on the war.
 
It depends on what you mean by a war. If you're talking about being the bully on the beach, which is what we've done recently, then sure. We never fight anyone who can actually fight back, we have weapons designed to fight the Russians during the Cold War, we don't fight anyone with nukes, we don't fight anyone with advanced military weapons, we go after people with surplus weapons that have no chance whatsoever against us.

In a fair fight, with equivalent weapons, Americans don't have the balls. The first time you saw a field-full of body bags coming home on TV, we'd want to pull out. We don't understand a fair fight, we don't want to engage in them.

Until recently, America has always been a warrior nation just like Great Britain, Germany, Russia, etc.

But the demographics in America have severely changed over the past few decades. We now have tens of millions of Americans and immigrants who are not warriors or came from a warrior mentality nation.

The American or British soldier wasn't superior to the German soldier, the only time the Germans were defeated on the battlefield was when they were superiorly outnumbered.

The reason Germany was defeated during WW ll was because unlike the USA, UK and the USSR, Germany didn't or waited to long to fight a total war. Total war being that the civilian population and industry has to be completely mobilized participating in the war effort. Everything was rationed, gasoline, shoes, butter, meat, etc. You couldn't purchase a new car or replace a tire with a new tire.

Where as the German population still wanted their chocolate, cigarettes, brats and Oktoberfest. Germany didn't go on to a total war footing until it was too late.

The U.S. military was never defeated on the battlefields of Vietnam. The war could have ended in 1966 if LBJ wasn't micromanaging the war by forcing PC rules of engagement upon the Navy and Air Force over North Vietnam. The war was actually won after the defeat of VC and NVA forces during the Tet Offensive of 68 until Walter Cronkite got on television and lied to the American people.
When the last American soldiers left the RVN in 1973 the mission was accomplished, South Vietnam hadn't fallen under communism and every province in South Vietnam was left in full control of ARVAN.

Today, the Russian people aren't scared to fight and if Russia decided to go to war you would see one million Russians volunteering to fight for Mother Russia.

America use to be like that, always willing to get into a fight, always hundreds of thousands volunteering to fight for America. But the demographics have changed in America and Americans have become pantywaist softies who depend on technology. Pizza Huts in a theatre of combat. :lamo The military being used for social engineering experimentation. :screwy A soldier, sailor or Marine talks like a soldier, sailor or Marine and the PC police call for their punishment or walking the plank :eek:
 
If our survival is actually at stake? Sure. Any invading force would get demolished, for example.

I'd fight to keep my wife and kid safe without hesitation.

I'd never fight simply because some politician or the government told me to, though.

Too often recently, the politicians and government have wasted people's lives for bull**** purposes. We won't ever get another WWII because nobody in this country can trust a politician to send them to war for a truly altruistic reason anymore. They've destroyed their own credibility.
 
We massacred countless civilians in that war, and engaged in a total effort that included control by the government over civil society. Today's populace is not willing to go through that for anything short of (maybe) an actual invasion of CONUS.

It doesn't matter, the OP was if we have the guts to win A war, and WWII was a display of guts.

We bombed population centers, bombed factories, firebombed and nuked Japan, and killed many many enemies, we landed on Normandy, we suffered a lot.

But goddamn, we won, no one can take that away from us. Japan, once a mighty empire, surrendered to us unconditionally in shame, Germany, with an empire once stretching all the way to France, encompassing all of Europe, had to surrender to us. We were the victors.
 
I would even go as far to say that we could probably take on the world as a whole and be quite successful.
No, sir. I won't serve you another. Now please leave, or I'll have security escort you from the premises.
 
I was lucky enough to serve along side Americans in Iraq and the answer to the question is 100% yes. You have the numbers, they are trained, you have the best equipment and the most firepower on Earth. If push came to shove and America was forced into a total war they would destroy anyone they came up against. Now I'm a proud Brit and normally on the internet we are supposed to talk rubbish and say why the US could never beat us etc but the truth of the matter is the US would run over us and anyone in its path. If a total war scenario came about however the US would have a long list of allies so they would not be alone. The biggest worry would be what would happen to the global economy since we are all connected at the hip.
 
It doesn't matter, the OP was if we have the guts to win A war, and WWII was a display of guts

Yes. Guts on the part of the WWII generation, who even were prodded along with propaganda and censorship. Guts I would not bet on the current populace having.

For cripes sakes, we're about to lose two wars, because we got tired of hearing about them on television. Yeah. :roll: Lots of stamina and grit in this crowd.

But goddamn, we won, no one can take that away from us. Japan, once a mighty empire, surrendered to us unconditionally in shame, Germany, with an empire once stretching all the way to France, encompassing all of Europe, had to surrender to us. We were the victors.

Sure we were. But now we think that If It Feels Good, We Should Do It, that Everyone Deserves A Trophy, and that Foreign Policy is Optional. If we tried to wage WWII today, we'd have a massive anti-war movement made up of folks screaming that the Japanese were just naturally reacting to American Imperialism in the east, that Europe's problems weren't our problems, and that the evil [Insert President] Administration was mass-murdering innocents rather than killing bad guys, and creating more Nazis than they killed.
 
I was lucky enough to serve along side Americans in Iraq and the answer to the question is 100% yes. You have the numbers, they are trained, you have the best equipment and the most firepower on Earth. If push came to shove and America was forced into a total war they would destroy anyone they came up against. Now I'm a proud Brit and normally on the internet we are supposed to talk rubbish and say why the US could never beat us etc but the truth of the matter is the US would run over us and anyone in its path. If a total war scenario came about however the US would have a long list of allies so they would not be alone. The biggest worry would be what would happen to the global economy since we are all connected at the hip.
If we were to engage in a "traditional" war against a specific country and their armed forces, I agree the US would kick arse. But, so-called traditional wars rarely happen anymore. Given that, we keep getting involved in things we don't understand and don't have the guts to stick to to the end. IMO, that's even worse than doing nothing.
 
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