Author Topic: How good is the US at war?  (Read 2444 times)

RevDisk

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How good is the US at war?
« on: December 26, 2016, 03:19:48 PM »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_States

About 85% victory rate. Though the peace tends to be much more difficult.

Total of 101 conflicts.

victory - 86, Stalemate - 2, indecisive - 6, Defeat - 4, ongoing - 3. Pretty much same as percentages. Though our post-WW2 record isn't looking as hot.

In case you were ever curious.
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K Frame

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2016, 04:46:48 PM »
Uhm...

The Whiskey Rebellion was a WAR?

*expletive deleted*ing REALLY?
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K Frame

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2016, 04:48:40 PM »
John Brown's raid on the Harper's Ferry armory is classified as a freaking WAR?

WTF are these idiots thinking?
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Perd Hapley

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2016, 04:50:01 PM »
Didn't include the War on Drugs? Morons.  :P
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K Frame

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2016, 04:51:47 PM »
Where's the Kent State war?

Jesus, that list makes my teeth hurt.

Fucktardic.
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lupinus

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #5 on: December 26, 2016, 05:20:34 PM »
I'm with Mike, the list is kind of funny.

That said, of late, I'd say it's a toss up. We're pretty good at fighting. We're also pretty damn good at handcuffing the military with politics.
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MikeB

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #6 on: December 26, 2016, 05:45:14 PM »
You know. I for one am kind of sick and tired of the we lost the Vietnam War BS. We won every major battle and forced the North Vietnamese to sign an armistice. Then North Vietnam invaded after we pulled out troops based on the agreement. You can debated whether we should have held up our side with South Vietnam and re-engaged or not. However the fact remains we did force the North Vietnamese to agree to the armistice.

Also it should be pointed out that both Vietnam and Korea had political limitations to prosecuting the war properly. The same can be said for the very end of the European Theater during WW2 when we probably shouldn't have held to let Russia take Berlin and Eastern Europe.

In addition whether we should have gotten into the current mess in Iraq or Afghanistan can be debated; however the problem there is the mistake we have been making since WW2. Countries that have been at war or oppressed so long need to be sat on for awhile to insure a stable government develops. Europe had wars every other decade for thousands of years as did Japan/Asia until we sat on them for a couple decades after WW2.

lee n. field

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #7 on: December 26, 2016, 06:21:40 PM »
No War on Terror?
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TommyGunn

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #8 on: December 26, 2016, 07:16:20 PM »
John Brown's raid on the Harper's Ferry armory is classified as a freaking WAR?

WTF are these idiots thinking?

If Harper's Ferry was a war, then what about Waco and Ruby Ridge?   [popcorn] [tinfoil] ;/
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just Warren

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2016, 07:26:11 PM »
Law enforcement. Heavy-handed law enforcement sure, but they didn't directly involve federal combat troops.
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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #10 on: December 26, 2016, 08:01:28 PM »
No War on Terror?

. . . or the War on Poverty (thanks LBJ).

Don't forget the War on Women (but that's only Republicans, so I guess it doesn't count).

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K Frame

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #11 on: December 26, 2016, 09:03:41 PM »
If Harper's Ferry was a war, then what about Waco and Ruby Ridge?   [popcorn] [tinfoil] ;/

According to that list...

Victories.
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Andiron

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #12 on: December 26, 2016, 09:41:02 PM »
According to that list...

Victories.


And this is why I don't donate jack *expletive deleted*it to Wikipedia when they beg...
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K Frame

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #13 on: December 27, 2016, 06:20:29 AM »
. . . or the War on Poverty (thanks LBJ).

Don't forget the War on Women (but that's only Republicans, so I guess it doesn't count).



War on Poverty? Defeat.

But that's just because the Dems haven't thrown enough money at it.
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K Frame

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #14 on: December 27, 2016, 06:36:45 AM »
You know. I for one am kind of sick and tired of the we lost the Vietnam War BS. We won every major battle and forced the North Vietnamese to sign an armistice. Then North Vietnam invaded after we pulled out troops based on the agreement. You can debated whether we should have held up our side with South Vietnam and re-engaged or not. However the fact remains we did force the North Vietnamese to agree to the armistice.

Also it should be pointed out that both Vietnam and Korea had political limitations to prosecuting the war properly. The same can be said for the very end of the European Theater during WW2 when we probably shouldn't have held to let Russia take Berlin and Eastern Europe.

In addition whether we should have gotten into the current mess in Iraq or Afghanistan can be debated; however the problem there is the mistake we have been making since WW2. Countries that have been at war or oppressed so long need to be sat on for awhile to insure a stable government develops. Europe had wars every other decade for thousands of years as did Japan/Asia until we sat on them for a couple decades after WW2.


Oh, didn't you know? The US lost the Vietnam War when the Tet offensive kicked off. Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather told us we lost.
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K Frame

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #15 on: January 03, 2017, 08:55:12 AM »
"You know. I for one am kind of sick and tired of the we lost the Vietnam War BS."

There's your problem, Mike. You're only thinking of military performance in Vietnam.

Socially, economically, and politically, we lost the Vietnam War.

ABC/CBS told us so.
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MechAg94

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #16 on: January 03, 2017, 12:06:00 PM »
They would be better off just calling this a list of all the times our federal troops saw action.

I wonder if these people also think the new Magnificent 7 movie was historically accurate. 
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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #17 on: January 03, 2017, 12:25:50 PM »
The discussion here reinforces my opinion that Americans have a perhaps-unrivaled talent at the creative destruction necessary for total war, and a slavish devotion to political management of those wars and ridiculous Rules of Engagement.
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K Frame

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #18 on: January 03, 2017, 12:50:51 PM »
"They would be better off just calling this a list of all the times our federal troops saw action."

Which means it would be even less accurate than it now is.
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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #19 on: January 03, 2017, 01:23:49 PM »
Are they still waiting for a final result in the Ferguson War?

MechAg94

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #20 on: January 03, 2017, 05:44:55 PM »
"They would be better off just calling this a list of all the times our federal troops saw action."

Which means it would be even less accurate than it now is.
Well, that is pretty much what it is.  They broke the various Indian Wars up into about 30 different conflicts.  It makes some sense, but I don't see what good it does to average WWII in with various Indian fighting.
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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #21 on: January 03, 2017, 05:53:10 PM »
. . . or the War on Poverty (thanks LBJ).

Don't forget the War on Women (but that's only Republicans, so I guess it doesn't count).



Go ahead and edit it in there.
Then report back with how long the edit stands.
 >:D
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TommyGunn

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #22 on: January 03, 2017, 07:42:16 PM »
The discussion here reinforces my opinion that Americans have a perhaps-unrivaled talent at the creative destruction necessary for total war, and a slavish devotion to political management of those wars and ridiculous Rules of Engagement.


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T.O.M.

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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #23 on: January 03, 2017, 10:34:44 PM »
The discussion here reinforces my opinion that Americans have a perhaps-unrivaled talent at the creative destruction necessary for total war, and a slavish devotion to political management of those wars and ridiculous Rules of Engagement.

That is brilliantly true.  The US Military, given a goal to achieve victory, is more than capable of accomplishing that goal...right up to the point when the politicians and bureaucrats start telling them when/where/how they can engage certain approved enemy combatants with certain weapons fired in certain manners in certain directions, and often by what personnel.
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Re: How good is the US at war?
« Reply #24 on: January 04, 2017, 12:10:50 PM »
. . . or the War on Poverty (thanks LBJ).

Don't forget the War on Women (but that's only Republicans, so I guess it doesn't count).



Ahem,  Ted Kennedy has a confirmed kill in the War on Women...
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