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You're exactly right, military weakness only invites war. Every time that a major power has reduced it's military, either voluntarily or involuntarily, it has led to war, without fail.

Right now, we're still a major power but if we reduce our military, it wouldn't be long before someone else would come calling with the idea of taking what is ours since we can't defend it any longer. Think that's not the case? Go back and look at what caused the second World War. Hitler sensed weakness in Britain and France and pounced on the chance to expand. That's the best known case of this idea that military weakness, even if it's just a perception, invites war, but it's a well known maxim and has been proven time and time again.

We don't have the guts to use nukes now, so we have to have a large conventional military. That's just the way the world works.

" Every time that a major power has reduced it's military, either voluntarily or involuntarily, it has led to war, without fail."

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a correct answer. Yes, we have some bloated beauracracy in the defense. Let's work on getting rid of that and pouring that money back into upgrading our equipment and weapons for our troops. This move by Britian alone does not disturb me. Believe it or not, they have historically had a small Army. However, they have also cut back on the RAF and Royal Navy. Especially the Royal Navy should have an increase in size, not a decrease.

I am not for decreasing our defense spending, but re focusing it. Similarily, we need to focus all of our efforts away from Europe (Keep Air Force bases there, thats about it) and focus all of our force strategy and effort towards the Middle East and Pacific. That is where our National Defense priorities lie. If England, France and Germany want to whittle away their militaries to nothing, fine. Let them. We just are tired of defending them. The next Napolean/Hitler to come along will finish them off most likely. And he'll most likely have an arabic name.