Defense: “Gates Seeks Sharp Turn in Spending,” by Greg Jaffe and Shailagh Murray, Washington Post, 7 April 2009; “Military Budget Reflects a Shift in U.S. Strategy,” by Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, 7 April 2009; “Pentagon Pushes Weapon Cuts,” by August Cole and Yochi J. Dreazen, Wall Street Journal, 7 April 2009; and “Gates: Champion of Our Troops,” by Ralph Peters, New York Post, 7 April 2009
Yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the first round in what will likely be an ugly battle to overhaul defense spending. Gates, to be sure, is not the first defense chief to take on the so-called iron triangle of defense contractors, lawmakers and military service executives – nor will he be the last.
However, Gates may be in a “perfect storm” which will make his battle somewhat more reasonable. The U.S. has been fighting an irregular war in Iraq for going on seven years and is ramping up irregular warfare efforts in Afghanistan, and is currently mired in an economic downturn.
There is a saying in the military that, “Troops in contact trumps everything else.” Gates is using this rationale to justify some of his cuts. The troops currently in contact are fighting irregular conflicts and have limited use for gilded high tech weapons systems. According to Gates, what they need are more troops and intelligence collecting platforms.
Additionally, as one of the results of a poor economy, President Obama has vowed to reign in defense spending. Instead of adding to the defense budget to pay for limited value high tech weapons systems for fighting a near peer opponent, Gates is targeting those programs in order to funnel funding to current irregular warfare initiatives.
Gates, in comments made yesterday, said his plan represents “one of those rare chances to match virtue to necessity; to critically and ruthlessly separate appetites from real requirements.”
Major Proposed Cuts
-Limit the DDG 1000 destroyer purchase to three ships
-Halt production on the F-22 fighter at 187
-Dramatically cut back on the Future Combat System
Major Proposed Adds/Saves
-Low tech tools, such as the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAP)
-Surveillance technology, such as Predator unmanned drones
-Funding to pay for planned increase in Army and Marine personnel
Congressional Response
According to the Washington Post,
“The initial response on Capitol Hill was restrained, reflecting Gates’s credibility among Republicans, the president’s popularity and the fact that midterm congressional elections are still 18 months away.”
In remarks Gates said, “My hope is that members of Congress will rise above parochial interests and consider what is in the best interest of the nation as a whole.”
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton said Gate’s plan was “a good-faith effort,” but that “the buck stops with Congress.”
Senators Joe Lieberman and Jim Inhoffe urged in a letter “not to allow deep cuts in U.S. missile defense programs that are critically important to protecting our homeland…” Lieberman added that the decision to stop building F-22’s “would result in the loss of thousands of jobs…”
My Take
The pragmatic Gates strikes again. Prioritizing spending to meet the realistic enemy we are likely to be fighting…? What a blinding flash of the obvious. However, as noted in all of the referenced articles, what Gates has proposed and what he is likely to get through Congress are two different animals. The politicians will fight like crazy to keep their constituents whole. I wish they could take politics out of the equation and do what is best for the troops.
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