Continue? They never started it to begin with. Bush is still in the downsizing mode. Cheney as Sec of Def was as bad as Rummy. Someone who did not need to be in that position. He was no Cap neither was Rummy. Bush and congress messed up Big Time immediately after 9/11 by not calling for and raising troop levels. Had these simpletons did as much deployments would be shorter and fewer for current troops. We can not continue on our present military course without great harm coming.
Gulf War One and the carrier deployment and post deployment maintenance mismanagement that came with it cost us a carrier. Not an oldie but one approaching mid service life. Actually it was the newest of the Kitty Hawk Class. I know it for a fact because it was ran three deployments in three years then at the end of the third when back at the base had a major boiler room explosion. God help us if they think they can do nukes this way and get by with it. No a nuke can't take such abuse either. They can not deploy indefinitely or actually any longer than a conventional. The reactor is not the issue the axillary and support equipment is. Both have 1200 PSI steam systems that run the screws and generators etc.
The Kennedy and Kitty Hawk fiasco that came later was another example. I think that was a first for any carrier to fail INSURV. There is no excuse for the military shortfalls and the GOP after 1994 is to blame for it remaining that way. They had the houses and ones like Warner sat on their chairs and did absolutely nothing.
If Bush and congress doesn't start addressing manpower issues the Bush legacy will be much like the mess created Post Nam by Ford/Rummy and Carter/ Brown.. People will walk away. I served in that one and saw it happen. I did some of my four years under Ford and most of it under Carter. I got out in time to vote for Reagan at home.
We have to campaign for people who will correct these serious defense problems. We can’t walk away from the political process in disgust. We have to keep at it.