Replies

You could cut the military budget 30-40% and never sacrifice a thing. As a matter of fact, we’d have more and better hardware. How?
1. Stop playing politics with the budget. Boeing gets a five year contract for 60 planes, but the funding is only one year at a time. So, instead of building a dedicated production line each plane is hand built. If it’s a multi-year procurement, fund the whole thing at once so they can set up automated lines and get better long-term pricing.
2. Stop playing politics with the contracts. The small business and minority set asides and gimme’s for political supporters. They’re hideously inefficient and expensive.
3. Get rid of the Greenies. The contracts all have ludicrous green requirements that run the cost through the roof.
4. Stop buying things the military doesn’t want and can’t use just because the plant is in some Senator’s district.
Nothing is more expensive than NOT being ready to go to war. Nobody gets attacked because they’re too strong.

You could cut the military budget 30-40% and never sacrifice a thing. As a matter of fact, we’d have more and better hardware.

So how would you cut military spending really? How big a Navy would you have in terms of ships, carrier groups, etc. What would your staffing levels be since personnel costs make up 26% of the budget?

Bottomline: There is no way you can cut DOD by 30% to 40% without sacrificing a thing.

I agree. I think we can as conservatives can have a rational discussion about the wisdom of military spending and not be accused of being anti-military. Why is the knee jerk response always that? I am sure, as you said, there is government waste. Obviously, right, someone has to set some limit? What is the right amount of spending on the military?