However, it's been rightfully pointed out by Global Research that:
With the biggest military budget in the world, five times larger than the next six countries, the largest number of military bases - over 180 - in the world and the most expensive military industrial complex, the US has failed to win a single war in the 21st century.It would, indeed, be tempting to allocate all blame on those dubious weapons programs that draw mind-boggling amounts of resources without ever producing anything to show for them. But it's far past this stage by now, as it's obvious that the US military itself is undergoing a period of moral decay, where young men who enlisted to defend their country with honor and dignity are gradually turning into crooks.
There's more than enough facts that can be found both in the alternative and mainstream media to illustrate this notion, as there's no shortage of war crimes that US servicemen have committed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and a number of other states. As a rule, Washington uses every trick imaginable to suppress such reports, but they come out nonetheless.
For instance, it has recently been revealed that the chief prosecutor of the ICC from Gambia, Fatou Bensouda, stated that members of the US armed forces inflicted "torture, cruel treatment, and offenses against the dignity of persons, in Afghan territory," acts that qualify as war crimes. The response of the United States was fairly predictable and prompt, as Bensouda was denied entry into the United States. This step was accompanied by the announcement made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in which he indicated Washington's intention to refuse entry to any and all ICC officials who were going to launch an investigation into the crimes US military personnel committed in Afghanistan.
Moreover, not a single day goes by without revelations surrounding American soldiers engaged in drunk fights, drug smuggling, human trafficking and sexual violence.
Just recently, those at the head of the most elite and combat capable unit of the US armed forces - Navy SEALs were forced to take urgent disciplinary measures to regain tighter control over the unit. This step was provoked by an announcement that the number of drug addicts and those contemplating suicide within the unit has been increasing steadily over the years. It's been revealed by the commander of the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Raymond A. Thomas III during a senate hearing earlier this year that special forces operatives are unable to maintain the scale and frequency of the operations they were tasked to carry out after fifteen years of constant deployments, as men are mentally exhausted which makes them prone to suicidal thoughts. It came to a point when rising suicide rates have forced SOCOM to sign a two year deal with the American Association of Suicidology for the latter to create a suicide prevention program to be implemented in the US special forces.
It has recently been announced that a total of sixteen Marines were arrested at Camp Pendleton for various illegal activities ranging from human smuggling to drug-related offenses, the 1st Marine Division said in a statement issued on July 25.
On the very same day, SOCOM released a statement about an entire platoon of SEALs stationed in Iraq being recalled to its base in San Diego, amid allegations that they were drinking alcohol while on deployment. It was revealed that "a perceived deterioration of good order and discipline within the team during non-operational periods" resulted in this decision, as "the commander lost confidence in the team's ability to accomplish the mission."
A recent study ordered by the Pentagon revealed that the number of sex crimes committed across the US armed forces has been going through the roof year-after-year. According to Reuters, the number of such crimes registered this year reached 6,053, which constitutes a 38% increase over the two year time span since the last time the Pentagon ordered a similar study to be conducted. The study has essentially revealed that one in eight women aged between 17 to 20 joining the US military will become a rape victim. Those are incredibly disturbing figures.
It is also worth mentioning the recent "rape list" scandal that erupted aboard the USS Florida - the second US submarine to integrate enlisted women. As it's been revealed by Military.com there were 32 women among the 173-person crew, with the male crew-members holding a vote every couple weeks to update the "rape list" that contained the names of every woman on board, ranked by a star system, their physical descriptions, and descriptions of various sexual acts the creators of the list wanted to perform with them.
Moreover, just recently 52 year old Senator of Arizona, Martha McSally, revealed she was "preyed upon and then raped by a superior officer" while serving in the Air Force. Her testimony came out during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing about preventing sexual assault in the military.
There's also the case of Air Force General John Hyten, the nominee to be the nation's second highest ranking military officer, now facing sexual assault allegations prior to his appointment as the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The allegations were made by his former aide - Kathryn Spletstoser who claimed that in 2017 her superior officer came to her hotel room and "pulled her to him and kissed her on the lips while pressing himself against her," and ejaculated.
It's hardly a secret that a great many high-profile Japanese politicians refer to the ongoing US military presence in Japan as "Okinawa's burden". There's been a countless number of public protests against US servicemen being stationed across this island, as rape scandals involving American soldiers is a common occurrence in this part of the world. Last April, a US sailor stabbed a Japanese woman to death in the town of Chatan. Against this backdrop, it's hardly surprising that Japan's PM Shinzo Abe has recently announced that the government would no longer drag out the question about the US military base relocation in Okinawa.
The US forces stationed in the Polish town of Powidzki have recently outraged the local community by showing complete disregard to environmental protection requirements established for Polish national parks such as Natura 2000 and Powidzki Landscape Park. The local population would go as far as to create a special Facebook group to express their outrage: Say No to Trump's Fort in Powidzki.
There's no shortage of examples of the no-so-subtle moral decay of the US military, as there's signs of protest and outrage in all of the 180 locations where US overseas bases are located. It's safe to say that if there were some individuals who weren't prepared to accept "US-style democracy" right away in some corner of our planet, the US military, in its present shape and form, has certainly assisted them in making the decision.
About the Author:
Martin Berger is a freelance journalist and geopolitical analyst, exclusively for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook.
Reader Comments
Research Yankee Army behaviour in the Southern State during the Secession War ?? Then the War on American Native Indians ??
So ?? What else is new ?
a) The was was all about slavery; nada else;
b) The goog guys won, etc.
Now I ask questions like this: Why don't yoju call it (as I do) The War of Northern/Yankee Aggression."
(Rhetorical question.) NRN
R.C.
If that ain/t weren't a morality decay offense (dating back to 2003!) I don't know what could be.
R.C.
" Read WWII War morality in S. Pacific, With the Old Breed, by a Bird Watcher: Free DL at [Link]
R.C.
R.C.
The servicemen are the best and brightest. They serve a higher cause and protect our freedoms. The US military is the cherry on the cake of the most distinguished, accomplished and greatest nation the world has ever seen and WILL EVER SEE.
Please don't post such ridiculous articles. If it wasn't for the freedoms won by these brave men and women, you would not even have been able to post this. Instead we'd be living under a red cloud or worse, nazi world.
#femacamps #martiallaw #guncontrol #usausausausa #spacecommand
America has undeniably made the world a better place. How can you not see this?
Progress is not cost-neutral.
I say: 'Don't rise to the bait'
R.C.
Plus, you can't say the natives were victims. Stop with the victim mentality. The natives fought back but they lost. They weren't victims. They were honourable but now vanquished opponents.
Their lands provided the space for the progress we witness now. If anything, their sacrifice was humanity's gain.
Please remember, people who have long past gone can't be victims. No one alive today was involved in that mess back then, so stop invoking it to pass a point.
Lastly, if you didn't know... America is the last hope this world has. Without it, we're all doomed to fall to tyranny.
#usausausa #downwiththeleft #femacamps #martiallaw #guncontrol
Ps, I'm invoking the spirit of the user baron here.
(not as loud as you would though. Just to clarify...)
Your counter arguments are all morality based when in reality, morality means nothing. At least it means nothing in the face of progress and the bottom line i.e. money.
Also, if I was really a nasty piece of work, I'd tell those women not to complain. When you sign up to the army, you agree to give away everything, that includes your body. The army's job is to kill and for people in this trade, of course stuff like rape is like nothing, just a fun game of power and submission.
So there you have it. Morality means nothing when it comes to this game.
As I've noted over the years, tney say huge percentages of the meanings of communications are per voice inflections et al, PLUS, visual/'non verbal' cues.ALL OF THOSE VISUAL AND AUDIO CUES ARE LOST IN PURE TEXT DISCUSSIONS. R.C.
The military is as fucked up now as it has been for many decades.
Get a grip.