Gates on Pentagon budget: "There are no sacred cows."

[Project Grudge]

'"The department must start setting priorities, making real trade-offs and separating appetites from real requirements," Gates said.

Gates vowed to review every corner of the budget, including the military's rising health care costs.

"There are no sacred cows," Gates said.

In addition to shutting down Joint Forces Command, Gates wants to...'

From HuffPo
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On one hand I think it's great we have a Defense Secretary who is willing to cut something, but maybe it's too much to ask for one that cuts the war machine instead of "health care."

[Sherman A1]

1. We will see

if there are sacred cows or not....

I am not keeping my hopes up.

[Hannah Bell]

2. that would be the capper, if they cut health care for soldiers.

they've done it before. i did my internship at a military hospital in the wake of it. people were pissed.

i still remember one ww2 vet saying over & over, "they promised us...they promised us..."

[Mac1949]

3. It's not the sacred cows that worry me.

It's the sacred slaughter-men. We waste far too much money on weapons systems that are ineffective or that we don't need, but we don't pay enough attention to the needs of the serving troops, or the veterans.

[AtomicKitten]

4. This is one of those instances when a hatchet should be used and not a scalpel. nt

[Kolesar]

5. Too many four star generals, too many senior civilian positions, too many special reports

I watched Gates' presentation on Cspan. I am encouraged. He is definitely on the right track.

We still have a huge command structure in Europe, anticipating the advance of the Red Army through the Fulda Gap.

Soviet Union, RIP, 1990