I was on this hill as a battery commander with six 88-millimeter antitank guns, and the Americans kept sending tanks down the road and we kept knocking them out. Finally, we ran out of ammunition and the Americans didnt run out of tanks.
-- Nazi Artillery Commander, Battle of Salerno
At the start of World War II, the combined economies of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan were only half the size of the United States. If for no other reason than the sheer weight of its factories and work force, America thereby held the strategic high ground.
In fact, the statistical correspondence between economic power and military might in World War II is startlingly. While the United States could field over three hundred thousand military aircraft, a combined Germany and Japan had less than two hundred thousand.
In the Western Pacific, the United States had about 350 destroyers compared to Japans 63. Meanwhile, on the European continent, the United States had over seventy thousand tanks compared to less than forty-five thousand for GermanyExhibit A, the Allied victory at the Battle of Salerno.
The broader Stalinesque quantity has its own quality point is simply this: While brave American soldiers and sailors and flyers at the frontlines ultimately won World War II, they had at their backs heartland factories that could churn out tanks and planes and ships at rates far greater than the enemy could destroy themdefinitive proof of the winning ways of what the great Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz once aptly referred to as war by algebra.
Today, however, many of those heartland factories that won World War II for America have been shuttered and moved to cities with names like Chengdu, Chongqing and Shenzhen. And heres the obvious strategic problem:
If World War III does indeed arrivetriggered by some trigger-happy PLA captain in the South China Sea or a nuclear strike by Pyongyang on Seoul or America coming to Japans defense over some rocks in the seathe United States will no longer have mass on its side.
Yeah, all those one sided trade deals are OK, the CFR crowd likes them.
#1: Stoner To: All (#0)
April 19, 2016
Indeed, today, while Chinas sixty major shipyards are working overtime to churn out submarine wolf packs and all of the various chess pieces that comprise carrier strike groups, many of their U.S. counterparts are either gathering dust, consolidating, or already closed down.
At the same time, while the production lines of Chengdu are churning out fifth generation fighters made with stolen F-22 and F-35 designs and Shenyang factories are busily cloning Russian Sukhoi jets, Americas F-22 has been cancelled and its F-35 program faces a squadron of budget and mechanical error bogies the likes of which no American weapons development system has ever seen. Meanwhile, as the U.S. space program remains grounded, Chinas military-controlled starship enterprises are putting in place a global positioning system and space station to seize command of the ultimate strategic high ground while readying joint commercial-military trips to the moon and Mars.
So yes, we can all sit back and mainline popcorn on our sofas and continue to enjoy the nostalgia of World War II movies showing good triumphing over authoritarian, genocidal and hegemonic evil. However, the next war movies may well feature any one of a number of new Nazisgrindingly repressive regimes like China, Russia and Iran with dreams of regional hegemony, global empire and jihad; and these war flicks will almost certainly have a much different endingunless America figures out a way to restore a manufacturing base that is withering before our very eyes.
Here, what is consistently missing in the national-security debate is any recognition of the critical nexus between the size and quality of ones manufacturing base and its status as the ultimate WMD and the ability to wage war and militarily deter conflict.
To put this in personal terms, my friends in the economics arena continually bemoan the impact of unfair trade practices and globalization on Americas ability to produce jobs, but most dont care a wit about Americas ability to produce the weapons we need for homeland defense.
At the same time, my friends in the national-security community continue to wring their hands over a rapidly shrinking navy and a military declining in both reach and readiness. However, they dont want to be bothered with issues like unfair trade that are withering the very manufacturing base needed to rebuild the military.
Its time, however, for the siloing of economics and national security to end. Clausewitz, Stalin and the Nazis taught us that long agobut we just havent been paying attention.
Stoner posted on 2016-04-20 15:31:22 Reply Private Reply
#2: A Pole To: Stoner (#0)
A Pole posted on 2016-04-20 16:14:35 Reply Private Reply
#3: nativist nationalist To: Stoner (#1)
Yep! In the long run a lathe is a greater weapon than a rifle.
nativist nationalist posted on 2016-04-20 16:37:58 Reply Private Reply
#4: rlk To: Stoner (#0)
Wars today are fought through immigration and subsequent guerilla warfare with public relations campaigns and subversice politicians during the initial period shouting racism and various phobias against those who are against uninhibited immigration. Europe is nearly lost. America is 30% of the way on the path to being lost in the name of correction of world economic of the injustice of inequality as a human entitlement.
RLK in what he hopes will become his forthcoming book "The Analytic Papers".
rlk posted on 2016-04-20 18:02:30 Reply Private Reply
#5: Stoner To: rlk (#4)
Robert, let us know when, & where it is available. I will want to get a copy, preferably with your signature.
Stoner posted on 2016-04-20 18:08:31 Reply Private Reply
#6: tpaine To: Stoner, Y'ALL (#0)
We still have overwhelming nuclear capabilities, and no longer need mass manufacturing. -- Although we could gear up rapidly.
Don't worry, be happy, Trump is coming soon.
tpaine posted on 2016-04-20 18:15:54 Reply Private Reply
#7: A Pole To: tpaine (#6)
Some sectors and know-how is lost. It would take time to gear up.
A Pole posted on 2016-04-20 19:05:14 Reply Private Reply
#8: tpaine To: A Pole (#7)
Pure bull. -- Name what is 'lost'.
So it would. And it would take a LOT more time for anyone to gear up an invasion of the USA..
tpaine posted on 2016-04-20 19:13:19 Reply Private Reply
#9: A Pole To: tpaine, paraclete, U don't know me, Roscoe, Willie Green, sneakypete, Vicomte13, TooConservative (#8)
So much manufacturing and technology was off-shored, I am sure someone here with more knowledge than me can provide better answer for you.
A Pole posted on 2016-04-20 19:19:22 Reply Private Reply
#10: tpaine To: A Pole (#9)
Pure bull. -- Name what is 'lost'.
Doesn't mean our capability to restore it is 'lost'. We can make ANY damn thing we need, fast enough to prevent any invasion.
Don't be too sure of that. This site is getting really shy of people who can answer/debate their own bullshit..
tpaine posted on 2016-04-20 19:34:27 Reply Private Reply
#11: A Pole To: tpaine (#10)
I did not talk about invasion which is very unlikely across the oceans.
Do not use Red Herring tricks.
A Pole posted on 2016-04-20 19:50:04 Reply Private Reply
#12: paraclete To: tpaine (#6)
really have you told that to China who is obviously following the US WWII playbook? China has built up its manufacturing capability, doesn't matter if it makes other peoples' successful designs, its a number game. China understands that the US took the Pacific island by Island, atoll by atoll and will take the South China Sea the same way. China will leapfrog its technology over yours in the same way the cell phone leapt over wires.
The Pacific Ocean is your best defense while China takes Asia, your foolish policies have provided them with the capability
paraclete posted on 2016-04-20 20:45:47 Reply Private Reply
#13: sneakypete To: rlk (#4)
Sad,but true. Every word of it.
Let us know when you book goes up for sale,ok?
sneakypete posted on 2016-04-20 21:07:20 Reply Private Reply
#14: Willie Green To: A Pole. tpaine (#9)
All the cheap trinkets that tpaine wastes his Medicaid foodstamps on at WalMart.
Willie Green posted on 2016-04-20 21:09:14 Reply Private Reply
#15: tpaine To: A Pole (#11)
So it would. And it would take a LOT more time for anyone to gear up an invasion of the USA..
I debate, -- you complain of tricks. Poor fella.
tpaine posted on 2016-04-20 21:50:03 Reply Private Reply
#16: tpaine To: paraclete (#12)
Horseshit. If China decides to take Asia, our only recourse would be nuclear war.
If China tries to take over the USA, we would have plenty of time to kill them, with or without nukes.
tpaine posted on 2016-04-20 21:58:08 Reply Private Reply
#17: tpaine To: Willie Green, a pole, Y'ALL gatlin (#14)
Pure bull. -- Name what is 'lost'.
Poor Willy, thinking that his nonsensical reply made him Poles hero...
Dream on you two clowns.
tpaine posted on 2016-04-20 22:09:44 Reply Private Reply
#18: Logsplitter To: paraclete (#12)
Logsplitter posted on 2016-04-20 22:38:40 Reply Private Reply
#19: jeremiad To: Stoner (#0)
jeremiad posted on 2016-04-21 01:28:11 Reply Private Reply
#20: paraclete To: jeremiad (#19)
The voice of reason. Yes you have played the bully and the world doesn't like your loutish behaviour. The Alexander the Great analogy is good. His leutenants divided the empire, I don't think the generals are going to get the loot this time. If you think Obama is mad, think what you will get with Trump or Hilliary. One will shoot everything in sight and the other will dither.
In todays world you don't need a hot war to get spanked, OBL almost succeeded by bringing down the towers, his objective was to cripple the financial system, and you are much more overstreached than you were then
paraclete posted on 2016-04-21 02:00:04 Reply Private Reply
#21: A Pole To: tpaine, Willie Green (#17)
He is my hero since 1990s. Before your were born, grasshopper.
A Pole posted on 2016-04-21 07:02:14 Reply Private Reply
#22: tpaine To: A Pole, willy, Y'ALL (#21)
Pure bull. -- Name what is 'lost'.
Poor Willy, thinking that his nonsensical reply made him Poles hero...
Dream on you two clowns.
I was born in 1936, you clown. ---- And if willy is your hero, I pity the parents that had to bear you. --- Please, -- leave their basement.
tpaine posted on 2016-04-21 09:43:29 Reply Private Reply
#23: A Pole To: tpaine (#22)
I doubt it. Most likely you were born around 2000.
A Pole posted on 2016-04-21 10:05:54 Reply Private Reply
#24: tpaine To: A Pole (#23)
I was born in 1936, you clown.
Your doubts and dreams are of no import, grasshoppy. -- Now go bug someone who gives a shit about you.
tpaine posted on 2016-04-21 10:26:56 Reply Private Reply
#25: jeremiad To: paraclete (#20)
jeremiad posted on 2016-04-21 11:45:58 Reply Private Reply
#26: paraclete To: jeremiad (#25)
No, big talk and a brash approach isn't something I applaud and the policies are just populous nonsence.
paraclete posted on 2016-04-21 22:22:25 Reply Private Reply
#27: jeremiad To: paraclete (#26)
jeremiad posted on 2016-04-21 23:43:55 Reply Private Reply
#28: paraclete To: jeremiad (#27)
The way I hear it he cannot make it, not something you might want to hear but it seems rediculous it has all been for nothing
paraclete posted on 2016-04-22 10:20:48 Reply Private Reply
#29: jeremiad To: paraclete (#28)
jeremiad posted on 2016-04-22 18:17:05 Reply Private Reply
#30: paraclete To: jeremiad (#29)
Yes it seems the system is designed to prevent change and entrench a particular party in power. Perhaps it would be better for the president to be a figurehead and not the third political force he appears to be
paraclete posted on 2016-04-22 18:37:22 Reply Private Reply