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World Police, we can take on the world, we could win a land war in Asia, god damn it!

24 (20.9%)

Matched Force, enough power to take on any other nation one on one and win

34 (29.6%)

Force Projection, enough to have influence around the world, but no real capability for a full on war in a foreign nation

10 (8.7%)

Fulfilling Treaty Obligations, no more

22 (19.1%)

Homeland Defense, no more

16 (13.9%)

Nuclear Deterrent is enough

4 (3.5%)

We need no military power at all

5 (4.3%)

Total Members Voted: 115

[Mictlantecuhtli]

If it wasn't the U.S. military in those bases around the world (Kyrgyzstan to Newfoundland!) it'd be the Russian, or the British, or even the Dutch. To save myself the effort of soap-boxing, I'll simply say that we live in a hostile age, but this is also a time where our world is connected as one. We cannot live in a Global World and not expect a Global Power.

Besides, those bases do more to improve the economy of the local areas they're placed than any 'damage' to the populace. The U.S. is not the Spanish or the Roman Empire. We don't burn cultures to the ground and impose our mandate. We just make sure everything doesn't fall apart, usually by shady means.

Do I agree? No. America was once an isolationist nation. But it was forced into interventionism by the deeds of Europe's warmongers in the early 20th century.

[Megaman]

'In order for a country to be powerful, it needs to be able to stomp the other ones into dust.'
-Some bullshit I just posted

[GlyphGryph]

Or it could be that the OP simply believes that at this point in our development, its not the best way to be "strong", and a large military actually weakens us by drawing us into unwanted and wasteful military conflicts while being a constant drain on our resources. It weakens us militarily, by definition, but unlike you, I don't see life as a political dick measuring contest where every country needs the biggest dick or it will be humiliated in the locker room, and even if that were the case I don't see why military might would be what we'd compare to determine strength.

For example, in those same 4x games, I generally DO dismantle my entire military once I get to nukes, unless I'm in an active defensive war, which is something totally different. And I'm seldom in anywhere near as a good a defensive state as the US. And to be truthfully honest, I almost end up skipping the military completely once into anything approaching a modern age, and use economic and political machinations to defend myself. But you're right, this isn't a video game, and the analogy is pretty absurd.

In real life, the US is not at risk of being conquered. It's "wars" are almost solely to preserve economic interests abroad, and I posit that our economic interests would be better served with applications other than blowing stuff up.

[Gamerlord]

Has the US ever been invaded? Nope. Would the US even be valuable enough tp make it worthwhile to invade? I mean, aren't you Americans basically just consumers? There aren't many natural resources that can't be found in greater amounts elsewhere. 

[Megaman]

A: 4x games have very little to do with real life

B: Blowing stuff up is the BEST way to deal with other people!(Dead men can't bother you)

C: Armies are a good bargaining tactic in unstable countries, because it gives the people in them reason to fear.

The US's mil budget IS overblown, but it should only be decreased, not ripped up.

Has the US ever been invaded? Nope.

The US is among the youngest countries in the world, it WILL eventually. There will always be a reason to conquer every inch of the earth at some point.

[nenjin]

We don't burn cultures to the ground and impose our mandate. We just make sure everything doesn't fall apart, usually by shady means.

Depends on who you're giving their due as having a culture. We've imposed our mandate on Afghanistan. Some Afghanis may really appreciate their girls going to school, no Opium trade and freedom from roving bands of religious police. Others think we're poisoning their culture with our values. We damn near wiped out the middle half of Vietnam, and installed the Southern Vietnamese dictator Diem because we were afraid of a populist Communist takeover of Vietnam, which happened eventually anyways as a military takeover in part because of our intervention. Diem was a pretty big ass, btw.

Do I agree? No. America was once an isolationist nation. But it was forced into interventionism by the deeds of Europe's warmongers in the early 20th century.

Like when we rolled into China in the 19th century and basically told them the Opium trade would continue unabated at gun point? And then went next door to isolationist Japan and told them to open their doors or we'd blast them open? When the CIA was planning to invade several countries in Latin America to install friendly dictators there in the 70s? We have an record that is one half awesome, and one half as deplorable as everyone else's in history.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Has the US ever been invaded? Nope.

Yep.

Would the US even be valuable enough to make it worthwhile to invade? I mean, aren't you Americans basically just consumers? There aren't many natural resources that can't be found in greater amounts elsewhere. 

The USA is extremely abundant in food, weapons, and coal.

[Nadaka]

Yes. the us has been invaded. Several times in fact.

And we have at or near the top in coal, natural gas, uranium, arable farm land, fresh water and possibly rare earth metals.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Has the US ever been invaded? Nope. Would the US even be valuable enough tp make it worthwhile to invade? I mean, aren't you Americans basically just consumers? There aren't many natural resources that can't be found in greater amounts elsewhere. 

No. You're wrong on all fronts, friend. It's been invaded many times, mostly by Europeans. Once by the Japanese.

[nenjin]

Depending on how you want to view the Civil War, we faced a war of attrition on our own soil by a "foreign power" that we weren't guaranteed to win until it was 80% over.

[Megaman]

Also, one more thing, nuclear power is very dangerous power to hide behind, you could destroy the entire earth via chain reaction by launching one nuke. I'd rather spend millions on an army, thank you.

[Gamerlord]

Yes. the us has been invaded. Several times in fact.

And we have at or near the top in coal, natural gas, uranium, arable farm land, fresh water and possibly rare earth metals.

Farm land? sure. Fresh water? Eh, pollution might render that wrong, I'm not sure. Coal? Becoming less and less important. Uranium? I'm not sure, but if a country just wanted uranium, Australia would probably be less risky. Natural gas? Probably. Metal? Not a clue.

[Nadaka]

Also, one more thing, nuclear power is very dangerous power to hide behind, you could destroy the entire earth via chain reaction by launching one nuke. I'd rather spend millions on an army, thank you.

Please don't troll.

[Leafsnail]

No. You're wrong on all fronts, friend. It's been invaded many times, mostly by Europeans. Once by the Japanese.

I'm... pretty sure the US has never been invaded by the Japanese.  Air raids do not generally qualify as invasions.

[Nadaka]

The Japanese did in fact invade Alaska.