[kabar]

We are seeing the classic Guns versus Butter play out as it has in other developed Western democracies where hard choices have to be made between the welfare state and defense. Butter always wins out because it has more constituencies.

Right now we are going thru a rationalization stage justifying why it is necessary to cut defense spending. We have changed the parameters to justify lower spending. It used to be the two and one-half wars strategy to now one war. We are trying to develop a mission plan that fits into the budget we want rather than using a threat assessment of the dangers posed to us by our present and future adversaries.

Two thirds of our budget is on automatic pilot. The entitlement programs and other mandatories will consume the entire federal budget if reforms aren't made. The costs will still go up with an aging society where 10,000 baby boomers a day retire every day for the next 20 years.

No doubt defense spending should be on the table for any reductions, but I suspect that the pressure to cut defense will be greater than entitlements. The politicians will see to that.

[gdani]

Right now we are going thru a rationalization stage justifying why it is necessary to cut defense spending. We have changed the parameters to justify lower spending.

No one need work hard to come up with rationalizations or justifications. The Pentagon has far more money than it knows what to do with or can keep track of.

Just a few examples of countless others:

The Pentagon Is Wasting Billions Of Dollars Because It Can't Audit Its Own Contracts

Pentagon Overpaid Billionaire Oilman By Up to $200 Million, Audit Finds

Special Report: The Pentagon's doctored ledgers conceal epic waste

Pentagon Unable to Account for Missing Iraqi Millions

It used to be the two and one-half wars strategy to now one war. We are trying to develop a mission plan that fits into the budget we want rather than using a threat assessment of the dangers posed to us by our present and future adversaries.

The scheme to budget/spend enough to support two wars simultaneously was developed decades ago & is severely outdated. Combat is much different now than it was then.

In addition, we're long past being able to afford our military adventures around the world. We borrow money to dump billions into places like Iraq & Afghanistan & leave it to our kids & grandkids to pay the bills. It's been this way for a long time, across multiple administrations.