(01-09-2015 02:52 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(01-09-2015 01:36 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  In today's world of asymmetrical warfare, small teams of SEALs, etc., can be anywhere in the world in 24 hours. Yet having forward billeting in Europe and Japan can cut that down to less than 12 hours. That could make a difference in a localized crisis.
There is also a need to provide support for the Navy and aircraft (fighters, bombers and tankers).
Therefore, I'm not sure that closing bases is in our best interest.

You don't need a whole base to support a SEAL team. What they need can be accomplished through a tenant command on an allied base. Obviously there's a risk that such allies could deny us the right to operate in a particular emergency, but they have that right with bases as well.

There have been several proposals to cut back to having bases only on US sovereign soil. That would mean pulling Pacific assets back to Guam, closing down European bases. In the Indian Ocean, we would have to do something with Diego Garcia; right now we are there on a 99-year lease from the Brits, but we could probably find a price at which we could acquire it outright and that might be a good move. There is an argument that we would expose Korea too much with such a move, but maybe we leave some troops there and maybe Korea and Japan prepare for our departure by upgrading their own capabilities.

What I'd look at doing, in both Europe and Japan/Korea, is prepositioning supplies with a cadre for security and maintenance, to be augmented by deploying troops from the states. And those deploying troops could be converted from active slots costing about $100,000/year to reserve slots costing about $20,000/year to maintain. We could substantially increase our potential end strength by replacing one active duty slot with 2 or 3 reserve slots, and still save money. One thing people don't realize is that the people we have forward deployed don't have a huge stockpile of supplies backing them up, and moving beans, bullets, and black oil to keep them going is a much harder logistics problem than moving people to operate pre-positioned materiel.

Good points...especially the suggestion that Japan and Korea start upgrading their own capabilities. I for one am tired of us having to still defend them.

This is progress. I'll take it.

First Cuba..now this. It looks like the Obama administration is on full out "salvage my Presidency" mode. Im just sorry that it took him 6 fcking years to figure out that there are lots of things out there that both sides of the aisle agree upon and that can be accomplished. I hope he continues on this roll.

(01-09-2015 05:27 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  It looks like the Obama administration is on full out "salvage my Presidency" mode. I'm just sorry that it took him 6 fcking years to figure out that there are lots of things out there that both sides of the aisle agree upon and that can be accomplished. I hope he continues on this roll.

This.

(01-10-2015 11:40 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(01-09-2015 05:27 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  It looks like the Obama administration is on full out "salvage my Presidency" mode. I'm just sorry that it took him 6 fcking years to figure out that there are lots of things out there that both sides of the aisle agree upon and that can be accomplished. I hope he continues on this roll.

This.

Anyone besides me think that Keystone will be next? I have a feeling some type of deal is coming. It has bipartisan support. He just needs something to save face and move forward. I bet you during the Oval office meeting next week with the Congressional leadership that something is proposed. Might be he gets support for this latest Community College thing?