The ‘Rats are a greater threat to US security than the Rooskies...
Gee. They want to cut the DoD budget. I never heard that before. I wonder how much they could pare from State? EPA seems ripe to be clipped a bit. After that, perhaps the Department of Education and Energy could take a hit. Why, before you know it you have saved some real dough. You might even have enough to buy spare parts for our planes and ships. Imagine that!
How about we eliminate all welfare for illegals, that would save trillions too.
I can play this game too. No more welfare. For anyone. States take care of their people, or they don’t. After that, it is the family and the church.
Budget planning and possible cuts are fine in theory, but reality is lightyears ahead of budgeting and has a way of adding in costs never thought of (i.e. the rise of ISIS, the return of the Taliban, Al Qaeda in the Sinai and Yemen, and the return of ISIS fighters back to their home countries, just to name a few.
Then add in Russia’s massive military buildup, aggression in Ukraine/Crimea, their threats to Poland and the Baltic States (again), their massive aid to Syria and Iran, and their do-nothing attitude towards No. Korea, Red Chinese expansion, etc.
Also add in Red China’s more than massive military R&D program, naval expansion, nuclear missiles, threats to all of South and Southeast Asia/Sea of Japan, South China Sea, etc.
You can’t put a dollar figure on planning how to take all of these and other as yet unknown future threats in a budget that has to be planned not only for the next fiscal year, but more in terms of weapons-development years, emerging threats (i.e. cyberwarfare), and unknown threats such as biological warfare (i.e. manmade epidemics,etc).
The best laid plans of mice and men go to hell when the first shot is fired.
Trump is the man to deal with it. Sacred cows in the military industrial complex will $hit a brick. Some of them work at the CIA.
Well the Secret Service could cut out a billion or so by forswearing hookers. Stay out of Columbia president Trump the girls there make your minders go - crazy
This article is a load of crap.
Sorry! I couldn't resist!
After reading through this, I’m struck with the feeling that it was prepared, reviewed and printed out just exactly as intended...
...but then the “wrong” candidate won the election.
(Sorry ‘bout that, Cato. Only thing I didn’t see was Slick or Witchilly’s initials....you certainly got the bulk of Progressive Thought on the subject, though.)
So Obama trashes our military for eight years, and the best Cato can come up with is to cut it more.
They can eat their own crap sandwich. Sorry fellas. Not hungry.
This world was terribly destabilized by Obama and company. This is not the time to signal that we are going to allow the rest of the world to burn, while we count our shekels here at home.
It’s typical Cato institute....notice they justify restraint because of where we are (unlikely to be attacked) plus other so called advantages.
Japan made us look foolish. Don’t think that other enemies aren’t capable of doing the same.
Initial premise is faulty, hence the rest is faulty
Ha ha. So where is the trillion dollars saved under the period of restraint under obama?
Extra credit, approve and accelerate technology that will reduce headcounts, such as self driving vehicles, autonomous aerial tankers, lasers on aircraft and ships, and GPS guided artillery. Reducing the people involved reduces salaries, reduces pensions, and VA health costs.
Paradoxically, a military withdrawal requires an increase in forces.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.
Whatever the defense budget, the cost of weakness is higher.
Which is not to say that we do not need to deal with waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, and bribery.
Simply cut out the political correctness in all of its forms.
I am hoping the Trump/Mattis team will recognize and put a stop to it all.
Easier said than done I know, but rebuilding morale and readiness in our armed forces takes more than simply increasing the defense budget.
Pure Crap
Just bomb every country but America to nothing and we will be able to save a bunch more then that.