I am gratified that a vast majority (89%) of Military Times reader respondents (within the bonds of the trustworthiness of any online survey) seem set against Trump’s “Mine Is Bigger Than Yours” parade, considering it a “waste” and that the troops are already “too busy.”
You know who parades around and shows off their soldiers and tanks and missiles? Countries who are afraid that others don’t respect them, and who want to impress others that they, too, have great, big, throbbing weaponry.
I would argue that it actually weakens American military prestige to resort to tactic.
Back when I was at Apollo at some point a new CEO put on a dog and pony show at an auditorium, and all the employees had to go. There were skits with Darth Vader, and a motivational ex-basketball star speaker, and they handed out “We’re #1” t-shirts.
And that’s how we knew we weren’t anymore.