Stealth Jet Revolt Could Mean Pentagon Budget Showdown

Gates and Gen. Cartwright announce the 2010 budget numbers/Pentagon
(Photo from Open Salon)

From Danger Room:

Washington has been expecting a showdown between the defense secretary and Congress over his plan to radically overhaul the Pentagon’s arsenal. That fight may finally go down, after a key House panel defied Robert Gates Wednesday by adding money to keep making stealth fighter planes — with an apparent assist from a top Air Force general.

Two-and-a-half months ago, Defense Secretary Gates proposed the most sweeping Pentagon overhaul in nearly 20 years. The plan eliminated funding or scaled back resources for all sorts of high-priced, high-tech, big-war weapons projects that had been previously untouchable, things like advanced jets, missile interceptors and next-gen tanks. Instead, Gates called for funding more troops and more drones, weapons more suitable for today’s fights in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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My Comment: When Congress can easily put pork into the War Budget for Afghanistan and Iraq .... this should teach anyone that Congress can do anything that they want when it comes to the U.S. Defense Department budget .... a fact that Secretary of Defense Gates is learning now.

The Danger Room makes the assumption that there was only "token" opposition to the Defense overhaul that Gates first proposed a few months ago. I disagree. With tens if not hundreds of billions at stake .... it is foolhardy to believe that lobbying and discussion would not take place. On the contrary, when Secretary of Defense Gates made it clear on what he wanted, discussions, debate, and planning on all levels from the (real) defense establishment went into high gear.

We are only now seeing the end result .... a fact that I am sure is surprising a number of people .... but not to the people who count and have a "stake in the game".