• 133arc585@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    26
    arrow-down
    11
    ·
    11 months ago

    the worth of the guns and tanks and other things we’ve been giving them that were just collecting dust over here?

    Use of reserves motivates replacement. Just because you’re giving them weapons that were produced in the past, and therefore whose (production) cost has already been incurred, doesn’t mean that occurs in a vacuum. With stock running low, contemporary money goes in to replenishing that stock. In effect, there’s no difference whether you send old or new equipment, because both incur costs in the present.

    No actual money was involved and so didn’t really cost us anything.

    It cost you exactly the amount it cost to produce them. Just because it was produced in the past, doesn’t mean it was free. You paid for it X years ago, and are only now seeing it used. You paid for it. Moreover, you’re now going to pay to replace it.

    • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      38
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      11 months ago

      Except a bunch is old stock or overstock. The US was sitting on stockpiles of 203mm artillery rounds from the m110 that they would’ve had to pay someone to decommission, but it turns out that there’s a soviet arty piece that can use them, and guess what? Ukraine has em. Not to mention they chronically overproduced M1A1 Abrams to the point that generals were begging for it to stop, simply because it would be more expensive to shut down and restart production than simply keep making tanks nobody wanted or needed. Plus, a significant portion of the old inventory was DESIGNED to blow up russian equipment. So the US is clearing out old shit, crippling the Russian military, and aiding a new democracy. The only downside is the fresh money that is probably going to be dumped into the MIC to fill those clean shelves, but (and this is basically NCDposting but here we go) the fact that the US can almost singlehandedly provide Ukraine the resources to hold out against fucking Russia for over a year and that equioment still being only a tiny fraction of their total might? Holy shit. Grab the money shovels boys.

      • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        Plus it helps clear out shelf space for new shiny shit, why have massive stocks of old obsolute junk sitting in the Sierra army Depot when you can empty it out and fill it with shiny new junk!

        Also its interesting how the Ukrainians have used some of the equipment which gives new data for R&D.

    • zackwithak@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      11 months ago

      Who are we kidding. You think they wouldn’t just create excess anyways?

      • Łumało [he/him]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        Who are you kidding thinking they don’t want to have a constant state of excess? It will be replaced, it has to be bought.

        • zackwithak@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          11 months ago

          Idk I guess if the military budget increases significantly more in budget to back fill I’ll believe this. But im pretty sure we’re just giving away old shit that is already being replaced with newer models