07-15-2022, 03:12 PM
WWII started a long running US military doctrine that has stood the test of time.. Absolute air superiority..
People love to whine about inflation this, inflation that, we spend too much on defense, blah, blah, blah
The truth is your standard of living and those of nearly everyone in the world today is a direct result of both air and naval superiority, but people tend to forget..That stuff cost a bunch of money and it has to be paid for by someone.
Now the US is pulling back from playing international policeman simply because we don't have to anymore. That entire gig of playing cop was to secure the high seas for shipping in exchange for other nations backing us and our policies. Butter for guns doctrine..
We'll still spend a BUNCH of money on defense so no other nation will ever have a chance of invading us and keep our technological advantages for the rest of your lifetimes and we'll still have most everything else secure for our own advantages. meanwhile most every other developed nation is losing population really fast. Europe, with the exception of France is sitting on a population bomb like Russia and China. Basically their baby boomers didn't have enough kids and the boomers are retiring like everyone elses and taking their wealth with them into retirement.
What's that have to do with Japan in WWII? Not much, but it was air superiority that changed everything for the US militarily.
Anyway..It was absolute air superiority that allowed the B29s to drop whatever they wanted on Japan at the time, but at the same time in 1945 we didn't have the manpower and artillery to outright invade Japan. It was attempt and probably lose the land battle or crush Japanese cities to oblivion with nuclear weapons.
Oddly enough nuclear weapons have given us all the most peaceful era in nearly all of recorded history. Think of how much more brutal things would still be if the whole world were still lobbing artillery back and forth everywhere instead of just Ukraine.
People love to whine about inflation this, inflation that, we spend too much on defense, blah, blah, blah
The truth is your standard of living and those of nearly everyone in the world today is a direct result of both air and naval superiority, but people tend to forget..That stuff cost a bunch of money and it has to be paid for by someone.
Now the US is pulling back from playing international policeman simply because we don't have to anymore. That entire gig of playing cop was to secure the high seas for shipping in exchange for other nations backing us and our policies. Butter for guns doctrine..
We'll still spend a BUNCH of money on defense so no other nation will ever have a chance of invading us and keep our technological advantages for the rest of your lifetimes and we'll still have most everything else secure for our own advantages. meanwhile most every other developed nation is losing population really fast. Europe, with the exception of France is sitting on a population bomb like Russia and China. Basically their baby boomers didn't have enough kids and the boomers are retiring like everyone elses and taking their wealth with them into retirement.
What's that have to do with Japan in WWII? Not much, but it was air superiority that changed everything for the US militarily.
Anyway..It was absolute air superiority that allowed the B29s to drop whatever they wanted on Japan at the time, but at the same time in 1945 we didn't have the manpower and artillery to outright invade Japan. It was attempt and probably lose the land battle or crush Japanese cities to oblivion with nuclear weapons.
Oddly enough nuclear weapons have given us all the most peaceful era in nearly all of recorded history. Think of how much more brutal things would still be if the whole world were still lobbing artillery back and forth everywhere instead of just Ukraine.
In the immortal words of my old man, "Wait'll you get to be my age!"
Chicago sounds rough to the maker of verse, but the one comfort we have is Cincinnati sounds worse. ~Oliver Wendal Holmes Sr.
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
Chicago sounds rough to the maker of verse, but the one comfort we have is Cincinnati sounds worse. ~Oliver Wendal Holmes Sr.
