President Donald Trump's United States of America

[kEiThZ]

Any similarities are purely coincidental.

You know it. This is the most authoritarian loving and Russophilic American administration ever. It's absolutely nuts. And most people have long understood that obsession over weapons size and numbers (instead of quality) was a sign of weakness. There's a reason dictators cave large military parades and the US never did. Strength was implied. If this thing actually gets built, it will mark the start of military decline on top of everything else going down in the US. And most naval analysts I know are still betting this doesn't get built.

 

[afransen]

We can only hope that US defense procurement is slow enough that these never make it off the drawing board before Trump dies, leaves office or gets bored.

 

[Admiral Beez]

You know it. This is the most authoritarian loving and Russophilic American administration ever. It's absolutely nuts. And most people have long understood that obsession over weapons size and numbers (instead of quality) was a sign of weakness. There's a reason dictators cave large military parades and the US never did. Strength was implied.

Well said. Same goes for super tall buildings, the US could have made the new WTC the tallest in the world, but IMO decided that’s a petty goal of tinpot oil sheiks and sultans. With the WTC rebuilt strength was implied, no matter its relative height. But now, we have the Germania like mega flexes coming out of the Trump administration.

 

[kEiThZ]

We can only hope that US defense procurement is slow enough that these never make it off the drawing board before Trump dies, leaves office or gets bored.

They cancelled the DDG(X) program to fund this apparently. That's the word going around. If that's true, it's devastating to the US Navy. And will set them back years.

 

[Admiral Beez]

They cancelled the DDG(X) program to fund this apparently. That's the word going around. If that's true, it's devastating to the US Navy. And will set them back years.

The first fourteen units of the USN’s seventy-four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are older than the RCN’s Halifax class frigates. With the Zumwalt-class canceled and now the DDG(X) at best “delayed”, the USN’s going to operating some of the older escorts in NATO.

 

[kEiThZ]

We may actually end up in a situation in 2040 where the RCN is more modern than the USN.

 

[kEiThZ]

Will add that Trump is actually wasting important ordinance that could help Ukraine and is needed to counter/deter China with these Africa strikes. All around strategic ignorance and madness.

 

[afransen]

He's trying to cement his position as worst president in recent history.

 

[kEiThZ]

He's trying to cement his position as worst president in recent history.

Recent history? Decently one of the worst in their entire history. We're only a year in. Just imagine what will be left of the US in 2029 when guys successor takes over.

I was listening to a podcast interview with conservative commentator and former War College professor Tom Nichols. He suggested that Trump is trying to provoke Venezuela in to a war so that he can claim war time powers. He suggested that this administration has been shopping for an easy war (in the sense of limited immediate impact to the US). And this might be it for them. First theory I've heard that actually makes sense for sending a whole carrier group to Venezuela.

Another thing that Prof Nichols said also struck me. He pointed out that in the first term, the economy was good. So people tolerated the shenanigans. Now the economy isn't great so the shenanigans look that much worse. And this might be motivating more desperate measures in the administration. From war to covering up economic statistics.

But really for us in Canada the question is how did we decouple without this becoming an absolute disaster?

 

[afransen]

They cancelled the DDG(X) program to fund this apparently. That's the word going around. If that's true, it's devastating to the US Navy. And will set them back years.

I see speculation that this might be a ploy to get Trump to prioritize DDG(X), by making it bigger (on paper) adding some useless WWII reminiscent guns and naming it after Trump to appeal to his vanity. The end result may end up being very much like the DDG(X) as envisioned.

 

[kEiThZ]

I see speculation that this might be a ploy to get Trump to prioritize DDG(X), by making it bigger (on paper) adding some useless WWII reminiscent guns and naming it after Trump to appeal to his vanity. The end result may end up being very much like the DDG(X) as envisioned.

I've seen that theory. I don't buy it. That's not legislation for funding works. They have to buy exactly what Congress funda (not much different here with Parliament either). Let's just hope that Congress understands what cancelling DDG(X) means and refuses. Just like they did when the Secretary of DUIs (no doubt motivated by the South African tech bros) tried to cancel the Wedgetail purchases out of some harebrained idea to go completely space based. They actually saved the USAF from a disastrous administration decision. We'll see if they do the same for the USN shortly. Insane that we've reached the point where we have to rely on the US Congress to stop the US President from destroying the US military. Absolute clown show nobody could have seen coming.