Gates Planning Major Changes in Programs, Defense Budget

[lanlady]

Source: Washington Post

Gates Planning Major Changes In Programs, Defense Budget
Proposal Said to Move Focus To Counterinsurgency Efforts

By R. Jeffrey Smith and Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, April 4, 2009; A01

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is expected to announce on Monday the restructuring of several dozen major defense programs as part of the Obama administration's bid to shift military spending from preparations for large-scale war against traditional rivals to the counterinsurgency programs that Gates and others consider likely to dominate U.S. conflicts in coming decades.

Gates's aides say his plan would boost spending for some programs and take large whacks at others, including some with powerful constituencies on Capitol Hill and among influential contractors, making his announcement more of an opening bid than a decisive end to weeks of sometimes acrimonious internal Pentagon debate.

Among the programs expected to be heavily cut is the Army's Future Combat Systems, a network of vehicles linked by high-tech communications that has been plagued by technical troubles and delays; with a price tag exceeding $150 billion, it is now one of the most costly military efforts.

Gates also is considering cutting a new $20 billion communications satellite program and reducing the number of aircraft carriers from 11 to 10, and he plans to eliminate elements of the decades-old missile defense effort that are over budget or considered ineffective, according to industry and administration sources.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/03/AR2009040304080.html?nav=rss_email/components

[mike_c]

1. why does the U.S. anticpate that most conflicts will be counterinsurgencies...?

The answer should be fairly obvious. The political leadership intends to continue using the military as thugs for imperialism and economic exploitation rather than national defense. Insurgencies tend to occur when we've got our boot heels on someone else's neck.

[FailureToCommunicate]

2. Finally. Pentagon spending has got to be slashed. The Cold War has been over

for many years, but contractors revolving through government and Pentagon don't want to give up the $$. Not to mention the Iraq spending...

Americans seem angry about the $200 million bonuses for AIG, yet the US spends that amount of tax dollars EVERY DAY on the Iraq War! We spend $2 BILLION every day on the Pentagon budget.

http://www.afsc.org/Iraq/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/19245

[mucifer]

3. I wish they'd get out of Afghanistan. But, the cutting the budget part is great.

[bvar22]

4. This sounds good....

...But cutting some programs does NOT mean cutting the Petagon Budget.
It could be simply moving money from one contractor to another...
like puling troops OUT of Iraq, but then sending them to Afghanistan.

I will cheer and wave pom-poms if there is any real cutting of "Defense" spending.

[Mari333]

5. cutting out the mercenaries we hire from Triple Canopy?

I didnt think so.

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/134594/obama%27s_blackwater_chicago_mercenary_firm_gets_millions_for_private_"%3Bsecurity"%3B_in_israel_and_iraq_/