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If You're Planning To Invade The US, 2028 Will Be The Optimum Year
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Timing
is everything in warfare, so here's a helpful tip for any up-and-coming
global superpowers, evil masterminds or future corporate nation-states.
The best year to stage your very own version of Red Dawn could be in 2028, when the U.S. Navy, the main protector of America's sovereignty, will be at its weakest.
More
specifically, the U.S. attack submarine fleet is expected to decline to a
modern low. Today the Navy has 54 attack subs and four special
guided-missile boats packing more than 150 cruise missiles each. But, as
the blog War Is Boring explains:
Swift, silent and heavily armed, the Navy's nuclear-powered attack subs are by far its, and America's, most powerful weapons for high-tech warfare. A single nuclear submarine can sink several attacking ships far from shore and also pummel ground targets with cruise missiles before slipping away at great depth.But the Pentagon took a long break from building subs during the 1990s and 2000s. Where once the Navy had bought four new undersea attack boats every year, for a while it acquired an average of just one annually. Congress finally took note and gave the sailing branch money to boost the build rate to a steady two boats a year starting in 2012.And that means there's going to be a big—but temporary—dip in submarine strength when the Los Angeles-class boats the Navy bought in the 1980s and mid-'90s finally age out. It'll take a few years for new Virginia-class vessels to replace them.The low point comes in 2028, when the Navy will have just 41 attack subs, 17 fewer than today. Since it takes around three submarines to guarantee that at least one is at sea and combat-ready at any given time that translates to roughly five fewer nuke boats poised to sink an invading fleet.
What's
more, it remains to be seen whether the Navy will be able to afford to
build its new subs, especially as the expanding U.S. nuclear weapons
budget threatens to cannibalize other Pentagon projects. According to the latest report from
the Congressional Budget Office, "the full annual cost of the 2015
shipbuilding plan would average $20.7 billion over the 2015-to-2044
period—32 percent more than the average annual funding the Navy has
received in the past three decades."
"Pretend to be weak, that he [your enemy] may grow arrogant." - Sun Tzu
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"The
main protector of America's sovereignty"? I'm sure just about every
branch would take a little issue with that statement. Our forward global
projection with the Air Force alone negates that very statement. If
anything, the Navy is a freaking dinosaur. We live in a post naval
world. We haven't fought a real naval battle since WWII.
While I understand that for /complete/ sovereignty we need a water based platform, I wouldn't necessarily say that it is the /main/ reason for our dominance.
Good article on the matter: http://www.usni.org/magazines/proc...
While I understand that for /complete/ sovereignty we need a water based platform, I wouldn't necessarily say that it is the /main/ reason for our dominance.
Good article on the matter: http://www.usni.org/magazines/proc...
2028?! This better not interfer with Marvel's movie schedule!
we'll be fine and I'll be dead by then
I'm
pretty sure money spent on education and infrastructure would be a
better defense for this country than any number of submarines.
I can't wait that long to be a "Wolverine."
This
is assuming no more budget cuts. With the oil market crashing, it will
hurt us all. I bet we, Russia, and China will all be weaker than we
hope to be in the 2020s.
But the F-35 might be fully operational by 2028!
The new Robocop is set in 2028. Coincidence? I THINK NOT.
I'd still rather have one of these over two of the older boats because the 688 Los Angeles
class is simply outdated compared to what likely adversaries will be
fielding in terms of both submarines and anti-submarine assets.
There
will always be someone willing to attack us for what ever reason.
However, Russia and China simply do not have the capability to make a
sustained invasion a reality, and unfortunately neither does the United
States. In fact the Invasion and occupation of two countries roughly the
size of Texas strained US logistic capability to it's maximum. This is
the reason why China is capitalizing on Anti-ship and denial of access
weapons. China (vis a vis Russia) doesn't have to commit to a full scale
invasion to take us out of any military game. Either only have to force
us to commit or quit, and if we commit then it will costly to sustain
that commitment. It's simply a game of capitulation through attrition.
So nuclear subs will not even be factor in that decisive game (unless
China/Russia uses the 1st strike option, and that is a dire and
desperate gamble.) If any Strategic force is anachronistic and regulated
to a secondary role then it will be conventional ground forces- The
Tank, Artillery, and Infantryman. The advent of inexpensive drones will
see to that.
41
attack subs is still more than every other country except China and
North Korea and very few people believe that China and North Korea's
attack subs are, overall, combat-ready. They're mostly for show (and
ancient)... and let's not forget that those 41 attack subs will come
armed with nuclear weapons.
The Pentagon is genuinely concerned about China's ongoing advances in submarine capabilities/
The Pentagon is also concerned about my 11 month old son's Lego catapult. It's the Pentagon.
Well, can you blame them? We might be facing a future Lego gap.
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Nope.
The Pentagon has plans for everything - I don't blame them. Also in
just a few months he's advanced at a terrifying rate from planting Lego
'land mines' in the living room to showing an aptitude for projectile
weapons. I'm think of selling him to BAE.
Goood. Goood. My plans to take over the world should be ready by then. Yessss...
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Random thought, but I always wondered why the Emperor was never petting a Persian Cat (or the Star Wars universe equivalent...)
Because there are cliches that even Lucas will avoid? I'm not sure what the other two are...
I think Darth Vader was the Star Wars universe equivalent.
I just assumed he was remotely petting one with the Force.
I think he was in the "Special Edition" of the movie
Thats why he was wearing that long robe.
It's John Candy!
No, but I think this is the image you're thinking of:
fight fight fight for Washington state!
First
of all, they can adjust what they want made and when every year based
on predicted future need. Second of all, if were all still here then,
I'm sure that will be our least concern is attack submarines. By then
it will be attack stealth satellites and autonomous killer robots and
drones that drive us underground, not underwater.
Not to mention those fricking cyborgs traveling back in time from the future.
Does anyone know the story behind the caption photo? I don't recall seeing anything like that in Red Dawn,
and, if memory serves, that was filmed in that period before it was
legal for product placement such as brand names for restaurants or beer
or cigarettes. Also, that's a pretty sad looking fake Russian tank
design for director John Milius.
It was a lobby card from the original 1984 Red Dawn.
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