What are the reasons for US military strength? Technology? The education level of troops? Volunteer? Logistics

Question

What are the reasons for US military strength? Technology? The education level of troops? Volunteer? Logistics?

Why does the US military place such a high emphasis on the educational qualifications for officers and chases after college-bound people as NCOs? I would appreciate hearing from service personnel. Does education automatically translates into competence? Many countries with armed forces are following the US military's way in offering scholarships and benefits in signing up. Does the US enjoys military supremacy because of the power projection capabilities of its aircraft carriers? Its airlift capabilities with the C-5 galaxy? Or its dominant airpower? Countries that practice conscription like South Korea, the training they receive is far more brutual and harsh than even the Marines receive, yet why is US military support is allowed on the penisula? Hiw would the US military compare to the Soviet Union's military at its height?

To Tony C:
what does vocational level of education means? Is that like a focus on mechanical training and engineering or more like eudcation that is more hands-on in aspects?

Answer 1

A lot of factors really. All are a result of the overall economic strength of the U.S.

Cruise missiles and ICBMs made Aircraft carriers and strategic bombers obsolete for use in global conflict, like the one we were preparing for with the USSR. Aircraft carriers are very effective, but very expensive, way to conduct "gunboat diplomacy".

One big factor is a volunteer force with good retention. This starts to become strained when the country gets involved in an unpopular war, and the public and the troops come to realize that they were misled by the top leadership on the justification for it.

Answer 2

I would say training, loyalty, equipment and immigration.

The U.S. has one of the few militarys in the world where certain troops aren't going overseas, they are actually going home. This generally takes away the home-field advantage since some of the "home team" is already on the U.S. side.

The U.S. outspends something like the next 10 nations combined. This allows the U.S. to project it's range, increase its firepower and protection of the troops. It also allows some troops to recover medically enough to get back into the fight.

The loyalty to each other and the mission is there. Other armies suffer from high defection rates while overseas and even the UN is known more for hiding in their bunkers and raping the locals than actually doing the job they were sent to do.

Training helps since everyone is on the same page, even on the local level. The U.S. military can function even if the upper command is destroyed or unavailable. Some militarys are so top down, that if their command is destroyed, basically their military is destroyed or useless.

The Soviet Union was very fractured. It was believed that something like 25% of the Soviet soldiers would defect in the first days. Their armored personnel carriers were said to be a fire hazzard. 1/3 of their nuclear missles were said to be useless because of various defects. Their military aircraft didn't have warning information because the leaders were afraid the pilots would eject if somebody locked a radar on them. Their ships didn't have computers so all firing solutions had to be done by hand. Sea rations was a can of beans a day. Only 5% of the Soviet Union population belonged to the Communist Party. The loyalty to the government wasn't there. Even in China, the loyalty isn't there and that country lives with at least two native languages and high corruption even among government officals.

Answer 3

The answer is multi-fold.

First off, it's the people that make the US military stronger than other nations.

Why? It is a completely volunteer force. Everybody is there by their own choice, and understands the commitment that they signed on for. This makes the majority of the people in the US military self motivated, and goal oriented. People of these traits tend to be more intelligent and more driven. If you want soldiers, marines, airmen, and seamen having them be intelligent and driven is a VERY good thing.

Intelligent and driven people fare well in intense training. the US military is the most technological advanced military force across the board. You need very capable individuals to make that stuff work. The training in the various "A" schools is long, and intensive. Most people who come out of the military who are not in a combat arm have a trade for life, for the training is that intensive. A high level of skill per individual makes for a very effective and efficient military force

The competency for the career officers, and NCO's is exactingly high. The ascension up the ranks works on a steep pyramid scale with each grade above being smaller than the one below it in numbers. This ensures that only the best from each rate class is picked.

This makes for more experienced, professional, and competent leaders up and down the chain of command.

You also have a military war college for each of the forces, and officers are required to attend those war colleges many times cross educationally to better understand combined arms forces. This makes for officers and Non-coms that are better educated in their specific jobs than their contemporaries. Additionally each of these war colleges are research, tactical, policy, and strategic "think tanks" that push the envelope of the operations envelope of the US military.

So you have a highly motivated, very professional, technically ,and tactically superior force.

and that's just the people.

There are few forces in the world that can project their will across the globe like the US military. They have state of the art technology, infrastructure, equipment, and processes across the board.

This sounds like a "white washing" but if you go down the list of where each of their front-line equipment ranks against what else is out there it's either the best or near the best in capability.

but that's not the whole story.

No other force in the world makes their Air, Ground, Sea, Intel, and Space forces work in concert together as well as the US Military. It's mostly due to the highest level of military communications available in the world.

Simply stated, If you have the best people, the best training, the best equipment, the best logistics, and the will to use them you're more than likely to have the best military force.

and you combine this with a Capitalist Industrial capacity that is the world's largest and most capable allowing the most money and innovation to be applied to the military/intelligence community, providing them with state of the art equipment, data, and theory going forward.

All in all, it's a complex set of factors that makes the US Military better than anyone elses.

Answer 4

The simple answer to that question is: Money.

The U.S has money to spend on developing technologies and buying in technologies from overseas.

It has money to equip it's soldiers, sailors and airmen with good quality munitions, food and clothing.

It has money to buy 10 aircraft carriers where most Countries can only afford 2.

Offering education to soldiers isn't an American invention either, it was practised by Greeks and Romans many centuries ago (and probably before) for the simple reason that a stupid person makes a poor warrior. By the same token, a person who is too intelligent makes a poor warrior though, so the level of education is almost vocational in it's makeup.

For the record; the level of training a U.S Marine receives is pretty good but don't confuse good with brutal. Almost every other army in the world treats it's soldiers worse than the U.S.A, they are know for being pampered.


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Vocational in a sense of training a person for a particular job. Obviously there is a degree of basic academic knowledge needed for every job in the armed forces, including that of an Infantryman, but you don't generally find Armed forces sponsoring Masters degrees unless it's in fields like virology or long range ballistics.

Answer 5

You have asked questions within questions. The US is a super, you don't get that role without a huge military. Education usually does translate to competence. The US military is a good model to follow. No particular branch makes up the best. It has been predicted that ground troops will be a thing of the past, wrong on that one!. I am not sure what peninsula you are talking about. South Korea has to be more brutal in their training, they know their Northern neighbors well.

Answer 6

Over all, your question points answer your question. While education does not equal competence, it does help train the NCO's and officers to do as good a job as is possible. Our ability to have the fighting force that we have is based on all points of your question about our hardware, and our people. Our people also see their actions as being in support of their home, and families. Providing protection for those who can't fight, such as children and wives is a strong motivator for our service people. In terms of our force compared to Russia at it's peak, on the basis of our full capability with no holds barred, as Russia would do, we would stomp Russia into the earth. We did things during Viet Nam that left the Russian military in awe.

Answer 7

Well, certain occupations, like medical officers, obviously need the college education and professional ecreditation. For the rest, the point of having a college education is the proof of competency and dedication. Do you really need a college degree to do most of the jobs in the world? Of course not, but a degree shows you are able to work under pressure, set goals, and work hard to attain them.

As for trying to get college-minded people to join, the military is the largest supplier of money for secondary education. College isn't cheap, and they know that you know that. So they offer tuition assistance and the G.I. Bill to get more people to join.

As for our strength, it isn't tied to one thing. We have intelligent, motivated, and professional soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, armed with the latest and best technology (for the most part), and in large numbers.

Answer 8

The strength of the United States Military can be explained in one word-----------------MONEY!!

Money buys all of the above items you describe---technology (check) Aircraft carriers (check) Decent pay for volunteer service (check) Dominant naval force (check) superior tanks, artillery and ground weapons (check) anti-missile capabilities (check) strategically placed military bases (check) dominant air-power (Check) all other items (check)
All bought and paid for by the American tax dollars of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

How does our military compare to Soviet Union's military during the cold war? A moot question due to the fact that mutual destruction was assured by ICBM 's and other nuclear capabilities such as submarines.

Answer 9

would not say something approximately Israel foremost the Ecstasy commerce and that i might by no skill have faith they might out produce American college pupils. If each American that needed one had a pot plant interior the back backyard we does no longer would desire to spend money killing people over it. The prisons might have room for murderers and thieves. infants does no longer have criminal data because of the fact of a substance no longer one 10th as deadly as beer. we would all laugh greater. united states of america needs to deliver troops to Pakistan and capture the Taliban and their opium growers interior the middle and wipe them out as quickly as and for all. Even the reasonable Muslims would desire to like that.

Answer 10

Personally I think you answered your own question. All of those factors play a role. There is no single factor that determines our dominance. There are a host of them, and they are all important. It also helps that none of our potential opponents share them.