After Stimulus Package, Pentagon Officials Are Preparing to Pare Back

[babylonsister]

After Stimulus Package, Pentagon Officials Are Preparing to Pare Back

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By THOM SHANKER
Published: February 17, 2009


WASHINGTON — Having signed into law nearly $800 billion in new spending, President Obama will now be under pressure to identify at least some budget cuts — and the Pentagon may be particularly vulnerable.

Mr. Obama is set to release his first budget proposal on Feb. 26. After years in which military budgets have soared to record levels, Pentagon officials are already preparing at a minimum to pare back, with a particular eye to slashing weapons programs that have suffered significant cost overruns.

Some Democrats are pressing for much broader cuts in military spending, with Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the Democratic chairman of the Financial Services Committee, having called for a 25 percent reduction in the Pentagon budget.

While such a drastic reduction is unlikely during a time of two wars and a recession, several high-dollar, high-tech weapons systems will be under the most scrutiny.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has acknowledged that the Pentagon “faces difficult choices among competing priorities,” and said the programs most liable for cuts are those “with serious execution issues.” Those he cited as having been particularly problematic included the Air Force tanker and Joint Strike Fighter, a new search-and-rescue helicopter, the fleet of replacement helicopters for the president, the tilt-rotor Osprey troop transport, the Army’s program for future combat systems and the Navy’s littoral combat ship.

“One thing we have known for many months is the spigot of defense funding opened by 9/11 is closing,” Mr. Gates said in Congressional testimony.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18defense.html?_r=1&ref=us

[rurallib]

1. I sure hope this is true

it will take a hell of a leader to stand up to the MILITARY - INDUSTRIAL - CONGRESSIONAL COMPLEX. There isn't a defense plant in every congressional district for no reason.

[Earth_First]

2. We outspend every country with a military defense budget COMBINED!

We can afford to strip the defense budget by a few hundred billion.

[gratuitous]

3. Oh noes! Not defense cuts

The terrorists have won. My God. Can we get George Dubya back in the White House? I'm soooo skeered.

[Winterblues]

4. Didn't Obama already come out with a figure for next years Defense Budget?

I could swear I remember reading about a $526 billion Defense Budget which was actually higher than last years. It was under the headline of Obama CAPS Defense Budget....Capped it at almost twice what it was under Bush 1. And that wasn't to include any costs of ongoing "wars". Those costs are very conveniently left out of the Budget, sort of "off the books" spending if you will. They call it "Emergency Supplemental Spending" even though it has been ongoing for seven years.