moelgaard
23983
797
24
A better country is a stronger country
Mar 21, 2024 7:38 PM
moelgaard
23983
797
24
A better country is a stronger country
TheGriffin
The US is prepared for every possible eventually. As long as it involves combat
cadesama
Tbh, I don't think they care much about our schools. But if we strengthened democracies and economies around the world, making our allyship invaluable, now that would be scary
TicklishOwl
> Believing the US is behind on missile tech
The term hypersonic is extremely misunderstood by a lot of folk. I know HabitualLineCrosser's channel on Youtube might educate a few folks.
mercyPandaRunner
Add: US stops gridlocking itself and finally gets on sending help to Ukraine.
WardSharlow
Transoceanic invasions are a thing of the past.
DJOldguy
I really like this: "A better country is a stronger country" It surely is!
moelgaard
Thanks đ
alcaray
There's good scaring and there's bad scaring. You want to scare them in a way that makes them *not* want to go to war with you. You do not want to scare them in a way that persuades them that they *must* attack you.
LunaAtlas
The above 5 points of reform are the best direction for immediate improvement. Number 4 will be impossible to work while there is a MAGA camp within the GOP. Foretunatly, TRUMPISM is on its death bed, until he loses in November and his Fascist puppets in the Congress get voted out ASAP.
Asadsadsadclown
âKeep up with Russia and Chinaâ fucking hilarious headline to begin with. Ukraine is currently shooting down Russian hypersonic missiles using stuff we made 20 years ago.
Elroydb
We need to do both and we can afford to do both. We just choose not to
moelgaard
/gallery/TfuoL2m
MissSiesta
Please add: if the parts of the government no longer took bribes, billionaires became altruistic and empaths, the supreme Court was replaced with decent judges, and if people joined together in solidarity to fight greed, pollution, inequality, fascism, capitalistic totalitarism, human right violations, and opposing wars.
moelgaard
Agreed!
APassingPlasticBag
Yeah our enemies are thrilled our population is sick, indebted over work and pissed off all the time to care you really want it scare your enemies let them see you thriving
hotaru251
China doesnt need to destroy America because America is destroying itself. Its crippled education and the future citizens knowledge of key jobs...the health of citizens is going down...& putins dogs cult is doing in fighting. China will win w/ doing nothing.
military tensions will always exist w/ china as our nations have extremely different views.
ZombieBorscht
"aims to keep up with Russia and China" that's cute, implying that they're ahead of us in any way militarily
alantosai
qwertdeep
Yeah, itâs such a stupid statement. USA has been spending more than the next 10 countries combined on âdefenceâ (and potentially more) for my whole lifetime and probably my grandparents lifetimes. It would take some crazy technological breakthroughs and an unbelievable amount of money for anyone to catch up and it isnât happening any time soon
hatefulonlytomyself
This baby gives so much much freedom *slaps missile*
JonWallace1985
But why? We use missiles differently. Hypersonic missiles only go so fast because they fly so high, making them easy to spot on radar. Our missiles go slower but hug the ground so theyâre hidden by the curve of the earth until theyâre right up your ass.
tattoogigolo
Check and mate flat earthers! Hidden by the CURVE of the earth.
Radix865
Yeah, and Ukraine has shown that the Russian hypersonic missiles aren't all what they were claimed to be.
brownribbon
None of those would scare Russia or China. Thatâs stupid.
eddbrowne
But real public education in the US could change everything; in 10 years or so.
HypersonicHero
The alliance sure does.
brownribbon
Yes but youâll note that none of those things in the bulleted list are the alliance.
HypersonicHero
I feel like I'm missing something... No. 2?
moelgaard
China and Russia hopes for the fall of the US. The US will not fall because of a military invasion. It will fall because of systemic problems inside the US, declining mental health, divisions and a population that whithers away.
colorfuel
But the shareholders.
moelgaard
If the US falls, shareholders will be the first against the wall
Ionico
Let the Arms race commence! Who wins? The Death dealers all of them win. And thier shareholder and pawns in congress and the senate! Who loses?! The poor. Why do we always send the poor. We always send the poor.
PoopCrap
Yeah this is an example of disconnected, wishful thinking. I want these things, so how can I justify them? Only your imaginary putin would be âscaredâ of any of this. Real world works differently.
EroticZombiePants
Russia and China wouldn't give a shit about anything on that list save for potentially the second one.
moelgaard
China and Russia hopes for the fall of the US. The US will not fall because of a military invasion. It will fall because of systemic problems inside the US, declining mental health, divisions and a population that whithers away.
EroticZombiePants
I think we'll ultimately fall from the weight of end stage capitalism collapsing on itself.
Kjasi
What will also scare them: A reverse firewall around Russia and China, so they lose internet access to the rest of the world.
Josefbugman1543
So a firewall then?
Sol88
why are you so afraid of china?
Feralkyn
I think most of the West is wary because they're vaguely supporting Russia (on the government-approved social media and some aid fronts). China treats its people like absolute shit and nobody in the West wants to end up in a world where that's the status quo. Even America, which is pretty fucking shit right now, sees the kind of widespread oppression China's government inflicts without a second thought and goes "nah." Anyway, are you aware 88 is a neo-Nazi symbol?
BlindGardener
It's also unfortunately my birth year ;.;
I'm not a sock for Sol88. I just hate being reminded that 88 is a nazi thing because it's my birth year ;.;
Feralkyn
Yeaaaaah F :(
backrideup9
"Aims to keep up with China and Russia." Hahahahshshhahahah how do you think China and Russia are going to figure out how to build hypersonic weapons? They're going to buy or steal one from someone we sell to and reverse engineer it.
qwertdeep
This is probably controversial but it would be much scarier to Russia if America started working with China for mutual benefit without caring whoâs number one or two. It goes both ways as well and it isnât just on US to forge relations. Isnât a peaceful world what we really want?
Fauxcused
Why would us undergoing healthcare reform scare China in any way whatsoever? This post is making a point that is an unsubstantiated claim.
moelgaard
China and Russia hopes for the fall of the US. The US will not fall because of a military invasion. It will fall because of systemic problems inside the US, declining mental health, divisions and a population that whithers away.
Fauxcused
Do you imagine if we did not have a strong military that internal divisions would be our only threat? Isolationism has been shown to be wrong.
moelgaard
Healthcare reform itself might not directly scare China. But a healthier, more educated US population absolutely strengthens our nation as a whole.
Divisions and declining health and wellbeing is the only credible threat to the US at the moment.. Where do you see threats to the US come from? Across the pacific? The US (currently) is the only country that has the ability to project any meaningful power in that way."
Fauxcused
Part of defeating Russia in the Cold war was, indeed, being a healthier stronger economy with a strongly educated population. The famous "long telegram" that guided cold war policies agree, but also allows for a strong military. My take is weakness in any area can be exploitedm
moelgaard
I agree with that, but I would just claim that the main US weakness right now is it's internal fractures and its ability to provide an agreeable quality of life and health for a large part of its populace.
Fauxcused
We won the Cold war against Russia by having a stronger economy. They couldn't keep up and in fact could not keep up with the arms race. That's why they moved towards adopting westernism which is why we had glastnos and perostik.
Fauxcused
We're not going to scare China by easing back on our military spending.
Rainbowdaesh
Pretty sure the 11 super carriers, almost 2k planned 5th gen fighters, planned 100 B21's, rapid dragon, almost 50 planned Virginia class subs does a better job than a type of weapon Ukraine has shot down multiple times with Patriot in the last 2 years.
And in case the above doesn't scare them there's the Marines. Don't touch the boats.
TicklishOwl
Don't. Touch. The. Boats. -HLC
Sw1ftTurtle
Ukraine has also failed to shoot down hundreds of hypersonic missiles.
JetrelPixelArt
Russia hasn't even fired "hundreds of hypersonic missiles"; of the Kh-47s fired at Ukraine, something like 80-90% of them have been shot down, and the grand total that have even been launched is vanishingly low (something like just a couple dozen or so). https://www.brookings.edu/articles/ukraine-and-the-kinzhal-dont-believe-the-hypersonic-hype/ They've fired hundreds of old-fashioned cruise missiles, but those have also had a pretty high attrition rate.
Rainbowdaesh
That's what happens when there aren't enough missile defenses and weapons sent to Ukraine, only the most critical areas receive coverage.
AxelBeingCivil
Ukraine's failed to shoot down tons of sub-sonic drones. Intercepting missiles is difficult at the best of times. There's not really any weapon, though, that beats the kind of terrifying logistics the US military is capable of bringing to bear.
Rainbowdaesh
Peace through superior firepower
AxelBeingCivil
I prefer to think of it as the terrifying power of organized bureaucracy turned to a singular purpose. Hideously wasteful as it is, if the US military said "Build a factory to manufacture insect repellent in the middle of the desert", I guarantee they'd be breaking ground within a month and by the end of the year there'd not be a mosquito west of the Mississippi.
Rainbowdaesh
If the US military is given free reign it's always been the stuff of nightmares. It's just that most of the time it's kept heavily in check which is a good thing. When it's not the USMC gets a new nick name and entirely new categories of warfare are invented. I'm not just talking about WW2 here either but pretty much every time the USA gets pissed enough to say "fuck that group in particular".
zanaria
Will never happen, not when there are russian and chinese assets sitting in congress...
lightfoot2
Hey man, they have to represent their constituents. :-)
LunaAtlas
Very good point. The Maga talk of Civil War when he loses in November. So be it, because no point arguing with idiots otherwise they turn you into one.
MAN9000
That is what fascist want you to believe. Now you are just spreading their propaganda - that no solution can be reached. That is a lie.
zanaria
Ahh see you are reading what you want to see and ignoring the details. I literally said "It will never happen when there are russian and chinese assets sitting in congress." that right there implies the solution...
LunaAtlas
Isn't the NAC there to weed out Fascists and Commos. Russia, China, Nth Korea, Iran, & their friends make the families disappear.
jerusalemspider
All due respect, you guys had been fucking it up long before they came along.
CP3oh
And Russian and Chinese bots prowling social media, kicking up as much shit as they can.
daguq
At some point you're gonna have to stop blaming others and take responsibility.
zanaria
Nah actually I don't have to take ANY responsibility for what happens in the US. I'm not american, and I don't live in the US. People can still comment on the situation in the US without actually being american. That tends to be a big issue with americans, they think the whole world is about them...
LumpPump
not sure how its my responsibility. my hand legit had ZERO part in any government affairs i guess past voting for people that may or may not get enough support... its legit not my fault if there wasnt enough people agreeing to put the right people into office. i was never a journalist that used lies to make people turn into nazis. not my fault my school history classes were basically propaganda that in my naĂŻve youth made me think most people would never fall for a sexist racist moron like trump
daguq
lol, as if it's your personal responsibility. The reply refers to your nation.
Heavenissize17socks
fuck that attitude. they said the same thing about abolishing slavery, womens suffrage and fighting against the Germans in WW2.
zanaria
Ahh see you are reading what you want to see and ignoring the details. I literally said "It will never happen when there are russian and chinese assets sitting in congress." that right there implies the solution...
lightfoot2
US gets rid of Trump. That will do it.
mercyPandaRunner
If Trump gets reelected or loses and, dog forbid, actually starts shit that keeps the US occupied with itself for a few years, Russia will start shit.
I call it now. If Trump somehow gets into office another time, Russia will directly probe NATOs defenses/cohesion by violating a memberstates territory.
moelgaard
Screenshotted this comment in case you need proof later (but hopefully not)..
mercyPandaRunner
I'd gladly bet against me on this. On both the condition and the prediction.
The condition at least is not set in stone.
Kingdomonsterdeath
If Trump is president and a member state asks for Nato help, he will have no choice but to deploy. If he didn't, he would open himself up to a third impeachment and probably removal at the hands of the CIA. The Joint Chiefs aren't going to leave NATO allies high and dry for the orange turd. They would go around him if they have to. Or through him if he forces the issue.
mercyPandaRunner
That will depend on how effective "Project 2025" will be realized.
GreyKnightTemplar666
That fourth point... I'll band together with the sane portion of GOP, which isn't much left anymore. But I refuse to band together with the Freedumb caucus and their ilk. They are the ones wanting to strip away rights and are pushing for a theocracy instead of a democracy.
UltimateEnemyTemmie
The russian agents who would be getting the boot. Not much of the GOP would be left.
quzar
Imma need a new conservative party for that to happen. A significant part of what got us here was the doctrine of party loyalty/identity above all else leading people to a slippery slope: to maintain your identity you must accept increasingly horrible things.
crodrigues
those fringe traitors would take any chance, such as this one, to gain any sort of advantage by making the "radical left" look bad, even if it cost the lives of everyone. we've sunk so low, I can hardly recognize this country anymore.
Knifesmith
I mean, that's probably addressed by point 5. I assume the freedumb caucus will cease to exist once mental health is properly addressed.
johnvictor
Counter argument, there never was a sane portion of the GOP after the switch with Civil Rights. They were just better at hiding being total psychotic pieces of shit.
moelgaard
I agree. I hope sanity will eventually find the GOP.
SavageDrums
Nah, burn them to the ground and bring back the Whigs
Gestalt7
DukeDarkwood
It won't. The "sane" ones got out years ago. Even the ones who "thought they could fix it" eventually gave up and retired (Mitt Romney held out the longest, but even he is out of the game). The party is all-in on the MAGA nonsense. The dumpster fire is going to have to burn itself out before any attempted new conservative party can try to replace it. (Or - my personal hope - a new progressive party, to the left of the Democrats.) Because first-past-the-post means two main parties at all times.
GreyKnightTemplar666
A progressive party, a democrat party, and centrist gop party. Let's get a solid 3 party system going!
DukeDarkwood
I'm all for ranked choice, where more than two parties can be viable at the same time. I think most who have heard of the method are for it. Which is probably why it's not in general civics-related curricula. Also, the Democrat party IS the centrist party (as viewed by other countries), with most of them just on the right side of center. It only looks "left" in the U.S. itself. The members of it who ARE left of center - like Sanders and Cortez - are seen as TOO far left to be viable, sadly.
sunyudai
At this point, more likely maga will crash and burn, and has a decent chance of taking the party with it. Once GoP is no longer a credible threat to taking the presidency, Dems will likely split into two parties, one of which will absorb many of the former GoP members.
FetteredJuvenescence
Gotta say, I'm more inclined to agree with SamuelPenning down there. I don't want to see the GOP regain sanity, I want the racist grandpa party to collapse and leave a power vacuum. Tired of our two party system being "Slightly right of center" vs "Nazis". A return to Reagan style GOP isn't a comfort when Reagan did more damage than even Trump. The GOP represents a failed ideology, full stop. Sick of having a two party system that's "slightly right of center" vs "full nazi". Fingers crossed 1/2
FetteredJuvenescence
we end up with a proper socialist party as the alternative to the democrats, as that's the only way you're going to see the other items on that list happen.
Sw1ftTurtle
"Sir, we can't invade Taiwan and South Korea, people in a country 1000s of miles away are too happy"
AxelBeingCivil
It's not really about happiness. It's more that all of these things would make the US more resilient and productive. It's economic power that determines your military strength in the end.
Sw1ftTurtle
I get that, but an invasion of Taiwan could happen next year, deterring China in ten years is not a substitute for deterring them today.
AxelBeingCivil
Sure, but even where that's the case, these things are still a threat. The more domestic problems the United States solves, the more unified it becomes, which means it can present a united front against China. Look at the difference US aid to Ukraine has made in its defense against Russia, and look at how quickly that stops with the Republicans in charge of the House.
moelgaard
True. And I am happy the US supports Taiwan! But what is the priority for the US? Its own population, or countering China in the south china sea?
AxelBeingCivil
The US is not separated from world affairs. Its economic success and political influence abroad is tied to its allies.
KittenInside
"Keep up" is such a funny headline. When the best any opponent has is whatever old tech they were able to steal.
Feralkyn
Yup. It reads like Russian propaganda. Not only that but the "the US should stop doing military stuff and, uh, do democracy!!!" Bruh they can do both, blame the fucking CEOs and lobbyists lol.
lemmerustlethosejimmies
That's really understating what the Chinese have developed. They aren't just stealing our tech and copying it, they've actually developed pretty good hypersonic missiles. Which in a war in that region would be chucked at our carriers. Which would be vital to any war in that region. We certainly dominate in most other military fields, but hypersonic weapons is where China has achieved a lot and they may not win a war on their own, but they absolutely threaten naval power. Which is critical.
theflyboy87
They have to sell the need! Play the âwe are playing catch upâ and need the $$ card⌠then find out we are eons ahead and sell that tech so it hits the open market. And repeat the process.
Lethous
China already used hypersonic stuff, I mean we can too, but hypersonic weapons is honestly part gimic. It's by no means a total game changer
keystotheairlock
....and half the time beats our invading asses anyway. Or we just sell them back the country.
zutty
Yeah its a post-truth thing. Theres just this assumption floating around that because hypersonic missiles are newer/more expensive/more complex, that they MUST therefore be better. There MUST be a reason why everyone wants them, right? Never mind what experts think.
Beelsebooob
Right, Russia claims to have hypersonic missiles because they have ballistic missiles that travel at hypersonic speeds. What the US means by hypersonic missile is a hypersonic cruise missile that can sustain those speeds in the atmosphere, and manoeuvre.
INeverWaitForIt
And the US is targeting mach 10 for its hypersonic cruise vehicles, not mach 5 like Russia and China.
Camelspotting
Almost all new tech involves stealing the old tech and improving it. This is just arrogance.
lightfoot2
That is exactly why we LET them steal our stuff: We know where the bugs are, and it's one generation back from the fun stuff.
KittenInside
My point was, the headline is outright lying. Pure propaganda.
Metallica93
This makes it seem like the U.S. is infallible and is always one step ahead, which I find very hard to believe.
BlindGardener
US miltech is pretty good. US soldiers are... OK. US logistics are fucking amazing. Logistics wins most wars with other 'par' powers. Logistics does not win wars against asymmetrical foes. US is bad at asymmetrical warfare, but can pick apart any of her peers simply by dropping more bombs per second than they can. Though China is definitely catching up in bombs per second. It's estimated that in the early 2030s China will be able to drop more bombs per second than the USA.
hunterkiller725
the us spends more money on the military and development of weapons than most countries make. in military tech the us is several steps ahead
BackToTheOriginalUsername
It never hurts to be ready. Misjudging an opponent can be a fatal error during a conflict.
Elroydb
If anything we've over-estimated our adversaries (generally a good thing)
demoncatmara
Goddamn I fucking love that Plane
ljj4
I'm a sucker for the F22 instead
sampanbou
It absolutely hurts to âbe readyâ when American citizens have a shit healthcare infrastructure and live paycheck to paycheck but all the governmentâs money is used on trillion dollar military projects
Josefbugman1543
Why would you do that, that's COmmUnisM.
onlyhalfghost
the US government *already* spends ~twice per capita what most developed nations do on healthcare, it's just wasted on insurance parasites
khora
US studies hypersonic missiles and concluded they weren't all that. China built them and then useful idiots started parroting propaganda about how China and Russia were ahead, forcing US to take up hypersonics again.
montyman185
I think part of the reason it's being revisited is because of some new developments in hypersonic engines.
As I understand it there's some new ramjet engines in development that might be closer to viable on the "holy shit that's a lot of money" chart.
Also cheaper hypersonic testing to make any of it reasonable to develop. (that part being why I doubt the validity of China and Russia's "hypersonic missiles")
DaveSamsonite
Ones that are actually hypersonic have recently been demonstrated by Russia. They are seriously dangerous and basically cannot be intercepted
khora
Most of them have been intercepted.
DaveSamsonite
None of the new generation. First use in Feb 2024z travels Mach 9. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-uses-zircon-hypersonic-missile-ukraine-first-time-researchers-say-2024-02-12/#:~:text=Russia%20previously%20said%20it%20completed,generation%20of%20unrivalled%20arms%20systems.