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Why is the US military budget so large?

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    Darkchampion3dDarkchampion3d Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    He rolled in the costs of Iraq and Afghanistan into the actual Defense budget instead of emergency spending bullshit.

    So really, the reason it totals out to a 4% increase is because it actually takes the entire cost into account. If you pull out the war spending and drop it into a magical emergency bucket like Bush, it is indeed a deep cut.

    Which is good. So on the surface, it's very hard to say he's being weak on defense (he increased spending 4% over Bush!) while underneath he's actually taken a rather large bite out of it.

    Darkchampion3d on
    Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence --Thomas Jefferson
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    see317see317 Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    jothki wrote: »
    FyreWulff wrote: »
    I was about to say that, magnetic latches.

    Although they might cause problems with other things (and would also latch to the dryer tumbler)

    Maybe electromagnetic latches, then? You could remove the battery when you wash them.
    :P
    That actually is an absurd idea, right?
    We'll need to put together a fact finding commission on this.
    Here's your blank check, get to work.

    see317 on
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    tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    see317 wrote: »
    jothki wrote: »
    FyreWulff wrote: »
    I was about to say that, magnetic latches.

    Although they might cause problems with other things (and would also latch to the dryer tumbler)

    Maybe electromagnetic latches, then? You could remove the battery when you wash them.
    :P
    That actually is an absurd idea, right?
    We'll need to put together a fact finding commission on this.
    Here's your blank check, get to work.

    Seriously, that sounds exactly like the type of "ooh shiny" shit the military loves.

    tsmvengy on
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    SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    tsmvengy wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    jothki wrote: »
    FyreWulff wrote: »
    I was about to say that, magnetic latches.

    Although they might cause problems with other things (and would also latch to the dryer tumbler)

    Maybe electromagnetic latches, then? You could remove the battery when you wash them.
    :P
    That actually is an absurd idea, right?
    We'll need to put together a fact finding commission on this.
    Here's your blank check, get to work.

    Seriously, that sounds exactly like the type of "ooh shiny" shit the military loves.

    See: Laser-firing Large Aircraft, as defended by Sen. Lieberman.

    Synthesis on
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    RocketSauceRocketSauce Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    The US military has a research project building a material from nanotubes that will allow a soldier to spider-man climb a vertical wall at about 5m/s (you peel off the material quite easily, but it won't slide/fall off).

    We need to be devoting all of our money to this project. RIGHT NOW.

    RocketSauce on
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    ElJeffeElJeffe Moderator, ClubPA mod
    edited April 2009
    This would actually be possible. Gecko's feet are basically nano-roughened so they stick to anything. The US military has a research project building a material from nanotubes that will allow a soldier to spider-man climb a vertical wall at about 5m/s (you peel off the material quite easily, but it won't slide/fall off).

    So...I'm thinking you could have two pieces of this that mate in order to provide a good contact. No sound, and probably pretty good at staying closed.

    I assume that 5 m/s is a typo, since that's like a reasonably fast sprint (about 10 mph).

    ElJeffe on
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    ToxTox I kill threads he/himRegistered User regular
    edited April 2009
    ElJeffe wrote: »
    This would actually be possible. Gecko's feet are basically nano-roughened so they stick to anything. The US military has a research project building a material from nanotubes that will allow a soldier to spider-man climb a vertical wall at about 5m/s (you peel off the material quite easily, but it won't slide/fall off).

    So...I'm thinking you could have two pieces of this that mate in order to provide a good contact. No sound, and probably pretty good at staying closed.

    I assume that 5 m/s is a typo, since that's like a reasonably fast sprint (about 10 mph).

    It's nano tech, man, it's just that awesome.

    Tox on
    Twitter! | Dilige, et quod vis fac
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    Professor PhobosProfessor Phobos Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    He rolled in the costs of Iraq and Afghanistan into the actual Defense budget instead of emergency spending bullshit.

    So really, the reason it totals out to a 4% increase is because it actually takes the entire cost into account. If you pull out the war spending and drop it into a magical emergency bucket like Bush, it is indeed a deep cut.

    Which is good. So on the surface, it's very hard to say he's being weak on defense (he increased spending 4% over Bush!) while underneath he's actually taken a rather large bite out of it.

    No, the Non-Iraq/Afghanistan war budget was $513b this year and it will be $534b in 2010. Obama folded the Iraq/Afghanistan wars into the total budget for purposes of calculating the deficit, which Bush cleverly did not do, but the 4% is on top of the fixed military budget, not the Iraq/Afghanistan stuff.

    Professor Phobos on
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    EvigilantEvigilant VARegistered User regular
    edited April 2009
    The US military has a research project building a material from nanotubes that will allow a soldier to spider-man climb a vertical wall at about 5m/s (you peel off the material quite easily, but it won't slide/fall off).

    We need to be devoting all of our money to this project. RIGHT NOW.

    I believe that's part of a DARPA project. Most of DARPA projects don't enter into military R&D until it is feasible to do so (though one can argue that DARPA is military R&D). DARPA researches and develops technologies that are far off, to facilitate and understand the changes or possible advances by pursuing those technologies. Then a branch of the military decides if it would like to further research and develop those technologies into fielding.

    Most of them are cost prohibitive to fully implement and field, so it usually takes a few years before most of DARPA tech gets seeded down into use.

    See: Exoskeletons, better prosthetic limb replacements, advanced computing, lasers, etc....

    Evigilant on
    XBL\PSN\Steam\Origin: Evigilant
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    zakkielzakkiel Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Tox wrote: »
    FyreWulff wrote: »
    It's a great material, but not stealthy at all.

    Someone needs to figure out stealthcro.

    hurry up and trademark that word. You'll make millions.
    This would actually be possible. Gecko's feet are basically nano-roughened so they stick to anything. The US military has a research project building a material from nanotubes that will allow a soldier to spider-man climb a vertical wall at about 5m/s (you peel off the material quite easily, but it won't slide/fall off).

    So...I'm thinking you could have two pieces of this that mate in order to provide a good contact. No sound, and probably pretty good at staying closed.

    Could, but each uniform would probably cost $Texas.

    zakkiel on
    Account not recoverable. So long.
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    electricitylikesmeelectricitylikesme Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Tox wrote: »
    ElJeffe wrote: »
    This would actually be possible. Gecko's feet are basically nano-roughened so they stick to anything. The US military has a research project building a material from nanotubes that will allow a soldier to spider-man climb a vertical wall at about 5m/s (you peel off the material quite easily, but it won't slide/fall off).

    So...I'm thinking you could have two pieces of this that mate in order to provide a good contact. No sound, and probably pretty good at staying closed.

    I assume that 5 m/s is a typo, since that's like a reasonably fast sprint (about 10 mph).

    It's nano tech, man, it's just that awesome.
    Oh he's right - no - it's like, 0.5 m/s. Still. ON A VERTICAL SURFACE.

    electricitylikesme on
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