Com-Central.net

NOTE: I dug up an old email that was circulating back in 1999. Luckily I printed a hard copy.

Makes for a good test (of sorts).

HINT: ITS written in 1999.

SUBJECT: Name that country (Surprise!!)
DATE: Monday, April 19, 1999

Name That Country

1 ) 709,000 Regular (Active Duty) Service personnel
2 ) 293,000 Reserve Troops
3 ) Eight Standing Army Divisions
4 ) 20 Air Force & Navy Air Wings with 2,000 Combat Aircraft
5 ) 232 Strategic Bombers
6 ) 13 Strategic Ballistic Missile Submarines
7 ) 3,114 Nuclear Warheads on 232 Missiles (Sub launched)
8 ) 500 ICBM's with 1,950 Nuclear Warheads
9 ) 4 Aircraft Carriers
10 ) 121 Surface Combat Ships & Submarines
11 ) Naval Support bases,shipyards, & logistical assets to sustain Naval Force.


Is the country...??
....................Russia? (Nope)

....................Red China? (Nope)

....................Great Britain? (Wrong Again)

....................USA ? (Hardley)

Care to guess??

The answer to follow (in a day or two)

Don

I'll keep my guess to myself but the answer is in #7.

Could it be . . . France?

Well, as you can see, the server switch has caused some glitches in database and resultant "co-mingling" of some threads. We're working on it...

France has one single aircraft carrier which is currently in MRO..

however, as Maple Leaf said, the answer is quite easy to find on Google..

Pierre-Olivier

I found the answer, but I don't get the question

Found this link to the information on a post dated 2004. Most likely an urban myth.

Name that country

Personally I think its a bit of a pointless comparison. While one could argue the current Army isnt big enough, I doubt many would say we still need 18 divisions...

Additionally, a comparison of the Russian military today to the Soviet military of 1991 would really put the above numbers to shame except in naval terms...

I'm tempted to add it all up...

Neil

I'll give this closing 'blurb' that went with it, just to be fair.

Don't feel too bad, if you are unable to identify this Global Superpower. That is because this country no longer exists. It has vanished. These are the American Military forces that have disappeared or been eliminated since the 1992 election of Bill Clinton.

Don't usually stray into politics, but this email had always been such an eye-opener, at the time.

note: I was in Bosnia when I first saw it, and it sorta hit a raw nerve for many personal & professional reasons.

Still felt it was a bit nostalgic.

Regards
Don

To be fair, most of the Army divisions' deactivation process started in 1990. 8th ID, 9th ID, and 2nd Armor were slated for deativation/reflagging while G.H.W. Bush was in office. I left Germany in December 1990 (8th ID) and we were already preparing to deactivate a brigade, the div cav and some other support units before Desert Shield. We were really reflagged as the 3rd AD with some original 3AD units remaining.

2AD was known as "Hell on Cinderblocks" before they were mobilized to deploy to Saudi in 1990. The plan was already in place to deactivate the 2AD HQ and absorb the brigade at Hood as the 3rd Bde, 1st Cav, which happened upon return from the sandbox.

- Sabot

2AD was known as "Hell on Cinderblocks" before they were mobilized to deploy to Saudi in 1990.

Point of order, Rob...we have a "spew alert" rule in effect here, so prior warning would be appreciated. (I'm dyin' here )

Don't they have a homeowners association there that sends out sternly-worded letters about derelict AFVs cluttering up the front yard?

- Sabot

2AD was known as "Hell on Cinderblocks" before they were mobilized to deploy to Saudi in 1990.

That strikes a chord. When the first gulf war started I was with 3rd Royal Tank Regiment operating as an infantry company in Ulster. Our tanks stayed in Germany, and by the time we got back to them the newest had gone to the Gulf without us, and the older ones had been stripped of useful components including engines and suspension and literally left on blocks.

- Sabot

2AD was known as "Hell on Cinderblocks" before they were mobilized to deploy to Saudi in 1990. The plan was already in place to deactivate the 2AD HQ and absorb the brigade at Hood as the 3rd Bde, 1st Cav, which happened upon return from the sandbox.

I read the 'build up' (or rebuild) AAR IRT 2AD Tiger Bde, prior to departure to ODS. I've been told that they deployed with there 1st Gen M-1's, but luckily drew M1A1's in the sandbox while waiting to do the 'drive-by'.

In July 92 I was assigned to 1/67 Ar, 3rd Bde, 1st CAV DIV. Being the former 2AD 'Tiger Bde', many were still wearing their 'Hell On Wheels' patches over their left breast pocket. In Dec 92 we got redesignated to 3/8 CAV.

During My time there, the Battalion did the M1A2 Platoon test, Turned in the ODS drawn M1A1's, Transitioned to M1A1HC's, conducted M1A2 IOTE (Company level M1A2/M1A1 side by side field testing, Sent 2 company level RDF missions to Kuwait, and participated in Op Roving Sands in 1994.

We seemed to stay real busy, while noone else was doing anything, at least at Ft Hood.

Don

Don,

Yep, during that time Fort Hood/ 1st CAV became "God's Gift to Armor", receiving all the latest stuff and influencing Doctrine and Training dis-proportionally to what was actually going on. Sometimes referred to "Desert Storm Syndrom" Meanwhile other units Stateside had to make do with scraps left over, some even being forbidden to fire up their tanks for maintenance due to fuel limitations. Even "Real" deployable Divisions (3 ID ) had to do without. Places like Korea, which had an ongoing mission, were hit too. We got M1A1's in '95 and were told NOT to let the crews do breech maintenance because if they broke something we could not get the parts. I don't know how many times I would cringe when conducting training or in meetings when someone would say "At Fort Hood......" .
We also stayed very busy, just nothing fancy, Did four NTC rotations in one year at Riley, that's because we were so under manned you ended up filling other units so they could go. After all, the commands had to get their NTC rotation in for their OER/NCOER's. All in all pretty crazy times.

That E-mail just reminded me of all that.
Joe D

BTW, 1st ID, 2nd "Dagger" BDE under COL Tony Moreno went to war with M1/105's, only unit's to do so.

Did my time at 1st Cav from 92 to 96, and watched 4th ID's Force XXI get all the good, new gear while we were doing two Kuwait rotations and a ramp up for Bosnia (I PCS'd before the Bde left).

I had friends who arrived from Ft. Polk as 5th ID in 92, reflag to 2AD shortly afterwards and reflag again as 4th ID by 1995. I'd always ask them which patch they were wearing this week.

I commanded an HHC in a former Tiger Bde unit (215th FSB/ex-502 FSB). Got hand picked for that command after tank company command by the ADCS and DISCOM Cdr. That was a sorry unit I tried to make better. Some of the stories I have from that Bn even I have a hard time believing.