even japanese disgusted with sg NS system

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Indefensible costs of military one-upmanship
March 1st, 2011 | Author: Online Press | Edit

I was recently surprised to learn that Singapore has 72,500 troops on active duty and plans to double the number of ¡°combat-ready aircraft¡± to more than 200. It also plans to have 10 more submarines to add to the four it has today. Or so the Wall Street
Journal reported (¡°Asia¡¯s New Arms Race,¡± Feb. 12-13).

In fact, Singapore has ¡°one of Asia¡¯s most modern armed forces,¡± according to a U.S. military site proudly announcing the country¡¯s purchase of 12 more F-15 fighter jets for $1 billion (October 2007).

The island nation is smaller than New York City (90 percent in land and 60 percent in population). Yet its annual military expenditure of $9 billion is 3.4 times as large as that of Vietnam (population 18 times as big) and 70 percent larger than that of Indonesia (population 50 times bigger).

All this was a surprise to me, because the proud and prosperous Lion City strikes me as eminently indefensible in any serious military confrontation. I do not have to bring up the Japanese Army overrunning the British Empire¡¯s ¡°impregnable fortress in the Far East¡± in six days, back in early 1942, with a troop size less than half that of the defenders. Imagine New York City as an independent nation having to defend itself from surrounding enemies.

I do not mean to advance any argument on geopolitics or regional military strategy. It¡¯s simply that when the WSJ article came out, I had just read Andrew Bacevich¡¯s essay, ¡°The Tyranny of Defense Inc.¡± (The Atlantic, Jan/Feb 2011). I was also thinking about Yukio Mishima¡¯s novel ¡°Silk and Insight¡± that I translated a dozen years ago.

Bacevich, a retired army colonel who teaches international relations at Boston University, for some years now has been highly critical of U.S. foreign policy, especially in the military field, writing books such as ¡°The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism?¡± (2008) and ¡°America¡¯s Path to Permanent War?¡±(2010), to name only the latest two.

In the Atlantic article, he revisits President Dwight Eisenhower and his warnings on the military running amok ¡°in the councils of government.¡± It is of course his famous farewell speech, in which he said, ¡°we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.¡±

But Bacevich also discusses Eisenhower¡¯s speech eight years earlier, the one he gave soon after he became president. The speech, before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, shows the military commander¡¯s thinking did not change over the years. It is particularly notable for the concrete examples illustrating the high costs of military
hardware.

¡°The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities,¡± Eisenhower said. ¡°It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some 50 miles of concrete highway. We pay for a single fighter with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.¡±

Direct cost comparisons between six decades ago and today may be difficult to make, but let me try.

Each B-2 ¡°Stealth Bomber¡± costs $1.01 billion. The ¡°flyaway cost¡± ¡ª the whole cost minus research and development ¡ª of each F-35, the product of ¡°the most expensive arms program¡± of the U.S. ever and for now the source of congressional hubbub, is somewhere between $89 million to $200 million.

The CIA¡¯s World Factbook puts the 2010 U.S. per capita income at $47,400. This means a total of 21,300 people ¡ª men, women, children ¡ª must work one whole year to produce a single B-2, and that 1,900 to 4,200 people must work just as long to produce a single F-35. Japan, whose per capita income is way below that of Singapore, plans to buy 100 F-35s.

The biggest issue in education in New York City now is Mayor Bloomberg¡¯s threat to ¡°eliminate¡± 6,000 teaching jobs because of a budget shortfall. These teachers are new hires, so suppose their average salary is $30,000. The elimination of a single F-35 at the higher cost estimate should make the firing of those 6,000 teachers unnecessary.

St. Vincent¡¯s, the most valuable hospital in my neighborhood, shut down last year because of a monthly deficit of $7 million to $10 million, according to the New York Times. To maintain a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan just one year costs ¡°a cool one million dollars,¡± Bacevich puts it. The U.S. now has 100,000 troops, at the monthly cost
of $8.4 billion.

The main purpose of the U.S. invasion and destruction of Afghanistan is now obscure, but if it is to force its own idea of government on it, it goes against Eisenhower¡¯s observation: ¡°Any nation¡¯s attempt to dictate to other nations their form of government is indefensible.¡±

As for Yukio Mishima¡¯s 1964 novel ¡°Silk and Insight,¡± it was based on Japan¡¯s ¡°first human rights strike¡± at a textile manufacturer 10 years earlier, in 1954. Mishima does not seem to have explained it, but the puzzling title he gave to the novel harked back to the phrase ¡°silk and warships¡± that dated from the Russo-Japanese War.

For decades before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, silk was Japan¡¯s principal export product, so it was silk that enabled the country to buy and build warships, hence the phrase. But the Yamato, the greatest battleship Japan ever built, and its twin, the Musashi, were both sunk ignominiously before engaging in any worthy battle. Of the two, the Yamato was sunk in the country¡¯s biggest and, yes, ¡°stupidest,¡± suicide sortie.

What was the cost of building the Yamato? As I have remembered it since my junior high school days, the same amount would have enabled Japan to electrify its entire railway system at the time, in 1940.

Has any of the expensive weapons systems, many of which Japan has been buying from the U.S. since it was coerced into rearmament despite the ¡°no-war clause¡± of ¡°the MacArthur Constitution,¡± served any real purpose in defending the country? I don¡¯t know.

Singapore guy wonder why he kenna con into NS

Lucky,

I can't get into the bus to work today. Usually, the bus driver of service 903 would come and drive away, pointing to another bus which is right behind. Now, that second would be empty. But get this, 2 LONG trans island buses are fully packed to the brim. Out of frustration not to be late for work, I entered the bus from the rear and tried clicking my ezlink card.

This is the state we have dropped to in this country.

You call this Swiss standard. I can't even get to work on time as the buses are fully packed. The facilities were built for a population of 3.3 million, it was not built for 5.4 million. The system is not sustainable. What is the government doing? Why are so many Singaporeans still busy sleeping on their new craze iphone and why is the state of public discourse in this country almost oblivion?

We're in for trouble and we're pretending that this government will deliver.

What PAP is doing is to test the system and see what is the breaking point of Singaporeans with regard to this foreigners-overcrowding-this-country issue?

After waiting for 25 minutes for a feeder to get to the tain station, I observed something which is going to be a common sight after this 2011 election. An NS man was standing while all the seats beside him were filled up with: a fillipina man and a fillipina girl, a tired malaysian chinese man and lady, 2 chinese ladies from china and an indian man from India.

Singaporeans are paying for their MRT ticket but foreigners are getting the seats. Welcome to a new day in Singapore.

You can't even buy a flat and have to wait out for at least 3 years. You can't get on a bus to work. You are suffocated by overcrowding. Your jobs are taken away from you by cheap, faster foreigners. During this time, you are called to serve your reservist.

I ask once again as a young Singaporean once asked and I have not forgotten what this government has done for the last 5 years: I no longer know what I'm defending."

NS and reservists, as many SIngaporean youths have commented are nothing but an avenue for cheaper, faster soldiers

more con do NS for nothing

rk for it ie it has outhouse staff (people like me) and inhouse staff directly employed by the bank. The sick part is that almost all those being recruited are foreigners. Oh the irony of it...but then what can you expect when the current CEO is a foreigner.
For those who doubt the stories here bout the influx of foreign IT workers...especially those from India, its easy...just go to Shenton Way during lunch time and observe those people taking their lunch or on their smoking break outside the buildings... That alone will be enough to open your eyes.
How do these foreign IT people keep getting the jobs? Its easy. They are recruited by the Agencies...work for a few years (to get experience etc etc) and when their time is up, they might either return home or move on to western countries or hop over to another mnc here offering better pay or position. Their place in the old company will then be taken over by another of their countryman (friends, classmates etc) possibly introduced to the agency by these people themselves and the cycle goes on and on.
Like the other writers, not saying that all of them are bad but this is the sad truth. For example - when you have 1 or 2 pinoys in your section or company, its not that bad. They are from our region and can chat or talk cock etc. However, once the barrier has been penetrated and more and more of them join you...it changes. Should 1 of these pinoys get into a supervisory or managerial position then beware fellow sinkies...as a few others sinkies have observed..they put in more of their countrymen and you're left in the lurch.
A true story - my ex colleague left to join an american bank here doing IT. Worked shifts, was the Shift Supervisor. A few Sinkies and some pinoys n indians. He was recently let go. Told me that initially the pinoys were friendly with the sinkies there but once their group was larger, every decision he made as a Supervisor was challenged by the pinoy group who would go to his manager to question the decisions made by him. But these same group will accept any decisions without dissent when its made by a fellow pinoy supervisor.
As for the Indians IT. Same goes. I find its the north indian chaps and ladies who are pretty arrogant probably because most of them are of the brahmin caste and look down on us as their inferiors. Another pal told me that they are the ones we have to keep an eye on as they are the group most likely to take up citizenship and stay here and breed more of their 'we are superior to you coz we're brahmins' types.
As for the PRCS - I think I don't have to spell out. Everyone knows

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another singaporean guy con into doing NS for nothing

My friend told me ! VOTE PAP in 2006 ! Foriegners only take those jobs that Singaporean don't want ! You must believe it ! And he did not listen to my advise.

As an engineer in the company, he is well-pay. $3500 per month. His family have no issue on money. He has a great Singaporean wife. He has a car even it's not that good. But still got transport. He also have a diploma ! And planning to take his Degree course ! He tells me, he going upgrade.

Today 2011, he is a security guard. His company employed foriegners in 2007 and retrench him on 2008 when the recession. Now he is almost 40, Only 37 years old, he went to NTUC learning hub to get his security guard licence. His wife refuses to get pregnent to have children. He ended-up divorce, no money. He sells his car. He takes his degree course, half-way he got retrench. No money to go ON. While our NTU and NUS is paying foriegners to study DEGREE. WOW ! That great. Salary ? $50 dollars for 12 hour shift.
He now working at east coast condo, OPENING GATE for foriegners. OUR Foriegn talent.

I hope in 2017, you will still have your wife and car. My DEAR SINGAPOREAN.

WELCOME TO THE REAL LIFE.

LIKE I SAY. I TAKE MY CHANCES. Will you ? So what oppoisite party fight one another ? It's better than I have to fight will BILLIONS OF FORIEGNERS OVERSEA COMING TO MY HOME SINGAPORE.

A govt that support foriegners and increase so much since 2006. Now 1.8 million are foriegners.
( Engineers, lawyers, Accountant, Manager, etc etc ).

Singapore is my home. Where will you go when you retrench and OLD ?

NS is a crime against humanity

the point is that each citizens should be given the chance to give his best shot in life. That means giving him a good education and freedom in his youth to give full expression to his ultimate potential. That is the most that any citizen can ask of its goverment and the responsibilty of a good govt.

On this count alone , both the PAP and the opposition has failed with GRADE F as they continue to impose NS slavery on its citizens for 2 years or 1 years at a time when the youth potential is at its maximum.

Cutting the flower down at its full bloom is a crime against humanity if nothing else.

growing anger over FT parasites who never do NS

Don't need to ask those below 40 to serve. I only hope they asked those foreign students to serve NS before they get our scholarships. Its goddamn unfair that our local university students have to manage their NS commitments during their school years while some foreign students are possibly wasting their life on DOTA and getting into pathetic fights in our school campus.

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=18956532750&topic=11877

Its a fking rip off considered that they can get their PR by just studying in Singapore for 3-4 years. Force them to take citizenship after NS, make sure no bond breaker can escape.

singapore is a sick nation with NS desease

My seaman friend been sailing for ages until they stop his exit permit to ask him to come back to serve NS. He already close to 40 and worst still, he could not find a job in Singapore, they want to pay him less than $600, overtime at $4 an hour plus only 3months contract.

Serve NS for the country but jobless and no money for family. This is the kind of gov policies we have.