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Obama unveils new strategy for 'leaner' US military ('Re-Tooling' to meet the China threat)
BBC News ^ | 1/5/12 | BBC

Posted on 01/05/2012 9:42:53 AM PST by NormsRevenge

The US military will become "leaner" while maintaining superiority as it switches focus to the Asia-Pacific, US President Barack Obama has announced.

In a rare appearance at the Pentagon, he unveiled a far-reaching defence review under which thousands of troops are expected to be axed.

He said the tide of war was receding, and the US needed to renew its economic strength.

The Pentagon faces more than $450bn (£288bn) in cuts over the next decade.

"So yes, our military will be leaner," Mr Obama told reporters, "but the world must know - the United States is going to maintain our military superiority with armed forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats."

...

There's the growing pressure on the defence budget in an age of austerity.

The commitment of US combat forces in Iraq is over and the developing draw-down of US numbers in Afghanistan makes this a good moment for a re-appraisal.

There is also a broader desire to re-orientate the focus of US defence policy away from the Middle East and towards Asia.

Today will not be the moment for detailed announcements about troops cuts and weapons programmes delayed or cancelled. But cuts there will be in due course, with more US troops likely to be brought home from Europe.

The US Army and the Marine Corps will be reduced in number and the US Marines will return to their traditional role as a rapid intervention force.

The focus for the future looks to be on what the Pentagon calls "the Air-Sea Battle" - the creation of forces capable of containing a rising military player in the Asia-Pacific region. Nobody says so explicitly, but it's China they clearly have in mind.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: china; leaner; military; obama; strategy; unveils
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1 posted on 01/05/2012 9:42:55 AM PST by NormsRevenge
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There’s the growing pressure on the defence budget in ‘an age of austerity’.

The Age of Austerity?
That’s a hoot.

just call it The Obama Years ..

Who brought on the debt like never before?


2 posted on 01/05/2012 9:46:11 AM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Obama: Epic Fail or Bust!!!)
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To: NormsRevenge

So higher taxes creates jobs and a smaller military makes stronger.


3 posted on 01/05/2012 9:47:03 AM PST by dirtymac (Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country., Really! NOW!!!)
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.Reuters.

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the Defense Strategic Review at the Pentagon near Washington, January 5, 2012. ..


4 posted on 01/05/2012 9:49:32 AM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Obama: Epic Fail or Bust!!!)
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To: NormsRevenge

the only way to gear up for the chinese is with alot more F-22’s.... the chinese are playing the same game we played with hitler during ww2... germany had the best damn equipment, and the most powerful stuff around... they just did not have enough of it.... we beat them through sheer numbers of inferior equipment... the only question china has to ask is, how many j-20’s does it take to shoot down an F-22, multiply that number by our current fleet size, and presto!! they have air superiority....re-open the f-22 line(hell, they would probably be cheaper than the boondoggle F-35)


5 posted on 01/05/2012 9:52:24 AM PST by joe fonebone (Project Gunwalker, this will make watergate look like the warm up band......)
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To: NormsRevenge
The US Army and the Marine Corps will be reduced in number and the US Marines will return to their traditional role as a rapid intervention force.

What's this stuff about the Marines 'returning to their traditional role'? I wasn't aware that the doctrine for the USMC had changed? It was the lack of Army infantry that forced the Pentagon to treat Marine & Army battalions as 'interchangeable'. Not like the Marine Corps as an institution had a whole lot to say about the matter.

6 posted on 01/05/2012 9:54:14 AM PST by Tallguy (It's all 'Fun and Games' until somebody loses an eye!)
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To: NormsRevenge

Thousands of troops are expected to be axed.However I have found funds to extend unemployment payments.


7 posted on 01/05/2012 9:58:47 AM PST by Vaduz
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To: NormsRevenge

The politicians in the pictures are smiling. The miliary officers are not. Interesting...


8 posted on 01/05/2012 10:01:55 AM PST by Russ (Repeal the 17th amendment)
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To: NormsRevenge
The "Military" is becoming nothing more than a nest of gangsta's, faggots, dykes, and trouble-makers looking for a place to hide.

The "old" military-types are few and far between, and we now can look forward to a small, sissified "fighting" force, that would rather hold hands around a campfire with camel-jockeys and goat-humpers, singing Kumbaya and chanting "can't we all just get along?".

Sickening.

9 posted on 01/05/2012 10:06:04 AM PST by traditional1 (Free speech for me.....not for thee)
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To: Russ

The officer on the right looks pissed.He might be thinking,”This guy’s Dad knocked up a 17 year old to get a green card,who would have thought it would come to this....”


10 posted on 01/05/2012 10:06:44 AM PST by Farmer Dean (stop worrying about what they want to do to you,start thinking about what you want to do to them)
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To: NormsRevenge
Obama unveils new strategy for 'leaner' US military...

America's national hero, Jimmah Cahta also gutted the military, and it took Ronald Raegan several years to build it back up. Hopefully, the wimpy-in-chief won't get too far with this program before the country throws him out on his A$$.

11 posted on 01/05/2012 10:09:36 AM PST by GoldenPup
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To: Tallguy
I read somewhere this morning that the Pentagon's budget was to enable us to handle "two regional conflicts".

In the days of the cold war (when the dollar budget was about 55%-60% of what it is today) the criteria was to fight three major wars.

I guess we're cannibalizing our insurance policy so that the pigs can feed at the trough for another day or two.

12 posted on 01/05/2012 10:10:22 AM PST by The Duke
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To: NormsRevenge
Going to reduce the size of the services?

Anyone want to bet that there will be an Obama policy to protect the homos from being part of the RIF?

13 posted on 01/05/2012 10:12:23 AM PST by RedEyeJack
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To: joe fonebone

At the unclas’d level, a number of the F-22’s systems are specifically vulnerable to Chinese mischief. It will take significant retooling of the electronics to harden them sufficiently.


14 posted on 01/05/2012 10:14:42 AM PST by jagusafr ("We hold these truths to be self-evident...")
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To: NormsRevenge

The bastard never talks about a ‘leaner’ government.


15 posted on 01/05/2012 10:16:03 AM PST by libh8er
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To: NormsRevenge

Is that (1,219,995) number including the civilian contractors?

Pennetta said he couldn’t even calculate the actual number of civis, there were so many.


16 posted on 01/05/2012 10:16:34 AM PST by moehoward
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To: jagusafr

Well, then here is my question (scenario)... the chinese begin building semi stealthy, fast maneuverable aircraft (j-20)... and crank them out the way they do everything, not alot of quality control, but alot of numbers... suddenly, you got 1500 j-20’s inbound.... what aircraft, and in what numbers, do we need? add 20% to that number, and that is the size airforce we need


17 posted on 01/05/2012 10:29:35 AM PST by joe fonebone (Project Gunwalker, this will make watergate look like the warm up band......)
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To: joe fonebone

oh, and I got the 1500 number by figuring it will take 4 or 5 to shoot down 1 F-22, based upon current fleet size


18 posted on 01/05/2012 10:31:17 AM PST by joe fonebone (Project Gunwalker, this will make watergate look like the warm up band......)
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To: Russ
The politicians in the pictures are smiling. The miliary officers are not. Interesting...

I noticed that, too. Very interesting, indeed.

19 posted on 01/05/2012 10:39:08 AM PST by proud American in Canada
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To: NormsRevenge

Externally, cut Europe and Middle East troop levels in half, send to Pacific.

Internally, put 250K of the 1.2M on the Mexican border.


20 posted on 01/05/2012 10:42:48 AM PST by mkboyce
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