Our military power isn't just a special forces soldier or a drone in action or a ship patrolling off of a hostile coast. Our military power includes the capability to deploy and sustain that soldier, drone, and ship in pretty much any place on the globe--and do it well.
That capability in theory has no combat power, but it is key to keeping the shooters in action where it matters, when it matters, and until victory is achieved.
France is a great power. It is one of two European powers (Britain the other) with any real military power. But France has nothing to compare to our logistics power. That's why they came to us when they decided to move into the Central African Republic to attempt to restore order:
The U.S. military said on Monday that it will fly African forces into Central Africa Republic, responding to a request by France to bolster international efforts to halt the spread of violence between Christians and Muslims.
Two U.S. military C-17 aircraft will fly about 850 troops from Burundi into Central African Republic within the next 24 hours, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Firman, a Pentagon spokesman, said. It was unclear what U.S. support might follow, but Firman said consultations were ongoing.
It's just two aircraft in this example. But without those troops, that Burundian battalion isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
So yeah, the French troops are fighting well against tough resistance:
Former rebels in the Central African Republic are putting up a tougher than expected fight, a French diplomat said Tuesday. ...
French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Central African Republic Tuesday on the second day of an operation to disarm rogue rebels that has already claimed the lives of two French soldiers.
The two paratroopers were fatally wounded Monday while conducting a night patrol in Bangui, the first casualties since France's 1,600-strong contingent deployed last week.
But that isn't enough to fight a war.
France didn't even send much. But they still need us to help bring in regional help. And I expect they'll need more of our help to keep their contingent in action in the face of stiffer resistance than they expected.
And keep in mind that our military is expected to be able to send 100,000 or more in relatively short order and keep them supplied.
This capability is also why our forces are often first on the scene in natural disasters.
A lot of non-obvious military things cost a lot of money. If our only tasks were repelling Canadian, Mexican, or Cuban invasion forces, we could afford to spend a lot less than we do.
