Leon E. Panetta arrives at the Pentagon before taking the oath of office as the 23rd defense secretary during a Pentagon ceremony, July 1, 2011. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. BaileyThe Pentagon’s Financial Drawdown -- Gordon R. England, New York Times
THE new secretary of defense, Leon E. Panetta, will soon face the challenge of significantly reducing the Pentagon’s budget. As directed by President Obama, he will have to find at least $400 billion of savings over the next 12 years, or $33 billion per year — about 5 percent of the current annual defense budget. His decisions will reshape our armed forces for decades to come and determine whether we live in a more or less dangerous world.
Having overseen the preparation and execution of the defense budget, I urge Mr. Panetta to resist the temptation to quickly kill procurement programs and research and development activities. Nor should he make proportional cuts to programs across the board. History shows that this would result in a hollowed-out force that will embolden our enemies. It’s the easiest way to go, but also the worst.
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My Comment: Facing an order to cut $400 billion(+) from the military budget .... I suspect that many in the Pentagon are probably hoping for changes at the top in next year's Presidential election. But .... I doubt that this will make a difference. There is too much red ink, and the demand among the American electorate is for smaller government .... a sentiment that will inevitably lead to a smaller military.
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