Exclusive: Pentagon arms buyer sees spending growth at risk

[unhappycamper]

Exclusive: Pentagon arms buyer sees spending growth at risk
By Andrea Shalal-Esa
WASHINGTON | Mon Nov 8, 2010 7:07pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon's top weapons buyer acknowledged to industry last week that politics, the tepid economy and mounting U.S. deficit concerns could impair the department's commitment to real growth in spending.

Defense Undersecretary Ashton Carter acknowledged publicly for the first time last week that political and economic realities "can obviously impact actual funding," said several sources who were not authorized to speak on the record.

But Carter told top industry and defense officials at separate meetings that he's still hopeful cuts in overhead costs could preserve projected one-percent real growth in the overall defense budget over the next five years.

Industry officials have been increasingly skeptical that the Pentagon could keep that promise, and have worried about cuts or cancellations to multi-billion-dollar contracts.

Worries increased last week when mid-term elections saw deficit hawks sweep incumbents from power and swing control of the House of Representatives to Republicans.



unhappycamper comment: "could impair the department's commitment to real growth in spending"? :wtf:

You guys already own 58% of the 2011 discretionary budget!

[marmar]

1. Where oh where will we get money to buy weapons we don't need?

nt

[zipplewrath]

2. Their customer is going broke

They'be spent 10 years working with virtually unlimited funds, and now they are lost. The harsh realities of our fiscal situation are about to become a reality to them and they don't have a clue how to operate, much less plan.

[rasputin1952]

3. Incredible...

maybe they could figure out a way to pare down their budget?

Nah...it's been too long, they have gotten things the Branches didn't want, request or require through for so long, it's merely nothing more than habit that keeps them going at this pace at all.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. Aww

:nopity: