America Is In Decline

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta smiles as he prepares to testify on the Defense Department's budget proposal before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee in Washington, D.C., Feb. 16, 2012. Robert R. Hale, undersecretary of defense (comptroller) and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also testified. DOD photo by D. Myles Cullen

The Budget Is Policy -- Dov Zakheim, Shadow Government/Foreign Policy

"The budget is policy," my former boss Don Rumsfeld once told me. The Obama administration's fiscal year 2013 defense budget demonstrates just how right the former "SecDef" was.

The new defense budget is more than about mere dollars, though its cuts are certainly serious. More important, however, is the programmatic content of those cuts and their implications for our credibility overseas.

The administration has made much of its so-called "pivot" toward Asia. But the budget does no such thing. Apart from the rotation of some 2,500 Marines to Australia, hardly the heart of the region, the budget actually represents a step backwards. Eight thousand Marines will move further away from the mainland as they redeploy from Okinawa to Guam. Missile defense funding, a critical component of any credible American defense posture in Asia, is being cut back. So too are shipbuilding and tactical aviation programs, though maritime and tactical air forces are meant to be the backbone of America's Asian posture.

Read more ....

My Comment: The new defense budget reflects what the White House believes is the role that America should play in the world .... a smaller and reduced presence that will not a play a significant role in shaping and/or influencing certain spheres of interest. And while many Americans are probably applauding this 'lesser role', the message from the White House and the media is anything but. Case in point ..... I agree with the assertion that this "so-called pivot" toward Asia is more smoke and mirrors than reality .... but when watching or reading the U.S. news a different (and opposite) story is being told .... i.e. .... America is not in decline .... America is just realigning it's forces .... The military will always remain strong .... etc..

Sighhh .... but as Dov Zakheim's above post reveals .... the numbers and actions say a different story. In short .... the numbers do not lie.