Economic crisis could affect defense budget

[unhappycamper]

Economic crisis could affect defense budget
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, February 8, 2009

WASHINGTON — Troops’ pay raises and personnel benefits could be trimmed by the ongoing recession, but lawmakers and military analysts say that’s not going to happen this year.

Instead, as the White House prepares its fiscal 2010 defense budget, major weapons systems and long-term equipment development are more likely to feel the economic pinch first.

Congress has already approved more than $680 billion in federal funding for fiscal 2009, including war supplemental budgets, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Last week defense officials brushed aside rumors of a 10 percent cut in base military spending for fiscal 2010, saying they are still in discussions with White House planners on final budget totals.

Those details won’t be publicly announced for several more weeks, and President Barack Obama is expected to announce only general spending priorities before that.

But in recent meetings with lawmakers, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen have warned that the nation’s ongoing economic crisis will undoubtedly affect the upcoming defense budget.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60564



uhc comment: Well, the 2009 military budget was almost a trillion dollars. How about we reduce it in 2010 to $680 billion? (This is double the military budget dubya had in 2000). Note that these are the numbers we are bombarded (mislead) with. If we agree to fund the 2010 military budget at the same (publicized) dollar amount, we can save almost 300 billion dollars.

Some other ideas to make the $680 work for us:

Insure the VA budget comes out of the 680 first.
Insure the DoD family support systems are fully funded first.
Insure the VA disability payments to injured soldiers is fair and paid first.
Lose the contractors.
Stop buying expensive Deepwater ships.
Stop buying expensive Future Combat Systems 'stuff'.
Stop buying expensive fighter and bomber aircraft.
Reconsider closing some of the 1,000+ military bases around the world.

And of course, get out of Iraq and Afghanistan.