Quote Originally Posted by STTAB View Post
I've nothing against joint defense compacts. When I went to Iraq the first time around we had British, French, German, and many other countries who had soldiers who were technically if not actually under US Command, and in fact that's they way it worked in WWII as well, Eisenhower was Allied Supreme Commander, meaning every other countries military answered to him, not just our soldiers.

What I mind is that the UN is completely feckless and the crap rises to the top and they purposely avoid the US having any role in command. Any thinking person might say the country that hosts the UN , funds the majority of the UN , and provides the bulk of the military might of the UN might need to play a significant role in the leadership of the UN, and yet no American has ever been the President of the UN nor the military commander of the UN. Quite the opposite in fact the leadership of the UN literally spits on us at every oppurtunity.
I don't know that I ever really cared about being on joint exercises one way or the other. Been around the ROK Marines and Royal Marines a time or two.

My issue at the time was this. Bosnia WHO? This is threatening the US HOW? Reagan was a warmonger. GHWB was a warmonger. But not Bill. Does he even get (dis)credit for involving us in that? Never hear about it.

Your synopsis of the UN though is MY answer as to why the FU to them. I also happened to agree with the Captain. He, and we, didn't sign up to be farmed out as mercs. I served the United States. Not some global bureaucratic FUBAR nutroll that couldn't make a decision in a month much less a minute.