The Decline In America's Military Dominance

U.S. Army Spc. Eric Leveault scans his sector while providing security and monitors movement near an observation point overlooking the Darwazgay pass in Afghanistan's Zabul province, June 24, 2014. Leveault, an infantryman, is assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The U.S. soldiers were participating in a joint air assault mission with Afghan soldiers. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston

Why America’s Military Dominance Is Fading -- Mackenzie Eaglen, National Interest

In the long run, Congress’ inability to change the status quo is eroding the military’s readiness for the next fight and mortgaging the future for the present.

It is often said Congress hates to cut or cancel weapons systems, usually for reasons relating to jobs and elections back home. But the record shows that Congress is much more likely to curtail new equipment purchases for the military rather than get rid of or retire the old stuff.

This tendency is increasingly problematic for the U.S. military. In many capability sets and domains, the traditional margins of U.S. military technological supremacy are declining across the services. Too often, policy makers think of this as an emerging challenge that can be dealt with in the coming years. But, as has been documented previously and stated by many senior Pentagon officials over the past year, America’s declining military superiority is now a “here-now” problem.

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My Comment: This decline is just following a corresponding decline in America's political and economic importance. You know the trends are going the wrong way when U.S. officials issue "threats" that are ignored, and on the home-front high debts and grid-lock become the rule in Washington and not the exception. All that I can say is that if this continues .... the focus of maintaining a robust military will just disappear from the public's consciousness .... and this in turn will be followed by the politicians that we elect who will only accelerate this decline.