Fort Bragg and US military might
The hanger smells of freshly sawn wood and paint. 
A sand-coloured Humvee, the military vehicle that became famous in Iraq, is anchored with giant straps to a metal pallet, its lights bandaged with tape, windscreen folded, moving parts secured with plants of wood and buffered with honeycombed material, ready for the big drop. On top of the vehicle are big blue parachute bags, eight of them in all.
Along with heavy guns, more than 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd airborne are being readied for a night-time simulation of an assault on an enemy airfield here at in North Carolina.
All this week, I am collecting material for three pieces for on the might of the American military.
If things go to plan they'll look at the way the US sees their fighting men and women, how that affects policy, and whether the budget cuts can really take on the military industrial complex and the role of training and theory in American warfare.
I’m Mark Mardell, the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s North America editor. These are my reflections on American politics, some thoughts on being a Brit living in the USA, and who knows what else? My 
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