After every major conflict - World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the fall of the Soviet Union - what happened was that we ultimately hollowed out the force, largely by doing deep across-the-board cuts.

Summary

This quote suggests that after significant conflicts and events such as World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the fall of the Soviet Union, there has been a pattern of weakening military forces. The word "hollowed out" implies that the force was weakened or depleted, and this was mainly achieved through extensive and indiscriminate reductions. Thus, the quote highlights a historical trend of diminishing military strength following major conflicts by means of sweeping and widespread cuts across different areas of the armed forces.

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