Mullen: Crisis will squeeze defense spending

[unhappycamper]

Mullen: Crisis will squeeze defense spending
By John T. Bennett - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 2, 2009 17:49:59 EST

The floundering global economy will force reductions in defense spending and likely drive up global instability, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.

Speaking to a Reserve Officers Association-sponsored conference in Washington, Adm. Mike Mullen said he is “extremely concerned that one of the outputs” of the economic mess “will be instability in places we might predict” and in other places where planners might not expect calamity.

As Washington continues to combat the crisis with corporate bailout and economic stimulus bills, Mullen thinks “there will not be an institution in our government that will not be affected.”

Although Mullen did not estimate how much annual defense budgets might be pared back, the chairman said the financial crunch means defense officials must “apply resources where we need them not, not just because we have them.”

The theme of Mullen’s speech was change. He told the audience repeatedly that the military is at the epicenter of a coming series of national and worldwide changes.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/02/military_mullen_speech_020209w/%2e



uhc comment: Well, if we weren't spending $$$$ like a drunken sailor in Iraq and Afghanistan, on $5 billion dollar Zumwalt destroyers, on $600 million LCS boats, on $355 million F-22s, on $239 million F-35s, on $1.8 billion LAPDs, on . . . . You get the idea.