Posted on 01/06/2011 12:04:47 PM PST by ConjunctionJunction
The Pentagon will have to cut spending by $78 billion over the next five years, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday, forcing the Army and Marine Corps to shrink the number of troops on active duty and eventually imposing the first freeze on military spending since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The surprise announcement from Gates was a reminder for the military establishment - which has benefited from a gusher of new money over the past decade - that it will not remain exempt from painful austerity measures that federal lawmakers say will be necessary to control the soaring national debt.
In a news conference to announce the cuts, Gates said he hopes that "what had been a culture of endless money . . . will become a culture of savings and restraint" at the Defense Department.
Gates had hoped to spare the Pentagon from the budget ax. Over the past two years, he cut dozens of expensive weapons programs and more recently sought to persuade lawmakers that the military had adopted a newfound thriftiness that would justify small but steady percentage increases in the size of its budget for the foreseeable future.
On Thursday, he said the armed services had successfully carried out a directive he issued in May to squeeze $100 billion in savings over the next five years by eliminating low-priority programs, thinning command structures and reducing overhead at the Pentagon. In return, he said, the Army, Navy and Air Force will get to reallocate nearly all of that money on new weapons systems and other combat-related projects.
But the fiscal realities facing the federal government led the Obama administration in recent weeks to order Gates to cut an additional $78 billion from its long-term spending plan.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
How about, we go back to the days before DADT? That’s 2 birds, one stone!
We can’t afford to pay for million upon millions of illegals from cradle to grave but we do!
Let’s get rid of the illegals who are sucking every single one of us dry, who are destroying our cities/towns, hospitals, and schools and then we can discuss the military.
Very true!
OK! Let’s get out of Afghanistan right now. If can’t afford enough troops, we can afford the War.
It is the beginning of the end of once Mighty American Empire. Now I wonder how the Arabs and the Chinese will attempt to fill the power vaccum? Perhaps we’ll witness the second edition of the “Great Game” in Africa.
AMEN!!! E-9 has got to be the most useless rank in the military.
Don’t forget about the Russians. They are really moving in in the middle east.
the military costs more than the whole non-defense discretionary budget
Good, they can have it.
Don’t forget about the Russians. They are really moving in in the middle east.
Good, they can have it.
x2. Those idiots went broke doing that in the 80s. Not that we seem to have learned much.
As a Navy Veteran, and a strong supporter of a strong military, I am for cutting costs in our defense spending. Now, before I get flamed, let me put out a few points...
1)My son is currently a paratrooper in the US Army. I want him to be fully supported when he gets deployed, but I want his deployment to be for America’s security, and not to be the Worlds/UN’s policeman.
2)When I was in the Navy, we were under what I think was the Graham-Ruggman Act, which was suppose to reign in spending, but it only excellerated it. Each division was to submit it’s requests for new equipment each year. If the amount you request was more then the previous year, then you would either have to go through a lot of hoops or get denied, so divisions always ordered up to the max amount that they could so that they could maintain their spending. What that meant every year I was on board my sub, was excess tools getting “lost” and excess equipment (vacuum cleaners, dishes, etc.) getting chucked overboard to make room for the new equipment.
The military, like any other government entity has places that costs can be cut. What I think should be done, is trust the local commanders to cut what they think isn’t needed, without threat that they can’t get those things back when they need them (ie, no more Graham-Ruggman shiite).
I think we could bring home many of our troops from overseas and close alot of overseas bases. I think our southern border could be better maintained with those troops.
I don’t know if we really need to continue with the carrier battle group mentality. Like someone else posted, that kind of war at sea like in WWII isn’t going to happen again anytime soon.
I have read somewhere that our military is extremely top heavy. I don’t remember where I read it, but we have nearly the same number of officers today as we did when we fought WWII, yet our overall force is much, much smaller.
A few side notes: my son said just recently that of the 200 soldiers up for re-inlistment in his unit, only about 30 will be able to reup. That doesn’t make sense to me when we are increasing our current “boots on the ground” role in Afghanistan.
It also doesn’t jive with the dems big whine on Bush’s move to go into Iraq with “too few troops” mantra. If they really think we need more troops, then don’t restrict the “boots on the ground” from reuping. This also goes along with the Dems cries for reinstituting the draft. That’s crazy. We don’t need a draft, but maybe the Dems want one for their own nefarious reasons.
Well, the next Republican President will have his/her hands full, that’s for sure.
Look for another huge attack in America’s Backyard come 2012-13.
And of COURSE there are areas of the military that could be cut! Bring all of our troops home from Europe and Asia for starters. And then, between attrition and being really strict on who we TAXPAYERS ‘hire’ to serve in the military, we could come in under budget and stay at full strength.
It ain’t Rocket Science! Hell, none of balancing our Nation’s budget is Rocket Science! I’ve been running a lean and mean operation on my farm for decades now.
Ask me anything, Washington; I’m here to help! :)
Just say NO. Tell Obama and the budget cutters that it w=ould take at least $78 billion to integrate LBGT into the regular military. That should do ity.
According to Gates the Pentagon has been rolling in dough since 911. How long has Gates been around. He couldn’t cut his budget before now. Typical Washington type.
Now if we can get the White House to match it by cutting $78 billion from Obama’s vacation budget.
If congress would dismiss the failing flop that Jimmy Carter began in 1979 that serves no purpose other than wasting money,then not one dollar would be taken from the defense dept. I truly believe that Mr. Gates has been promised a future job by someone close to the present administration and he is selling out country and our security. Check out his past record and also read this previous thread. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2249209/posts
Bump
I have seen this ‘use the whole budget’ behavior firsthand in federal civil service, this is the first I’ve heard in the military.
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