Saturday, June 15, 2013

Hollowing Out The U.S. Military Again

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, center, Deputy Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, left, and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meet with senior Defense Department and combatant commanders at the Pentagon, June 14, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

A Hollow Military Again? -- James Kitfield, National Journal

The looming postwar drawdown of the U.S. armed forces will prove the most challenging of modern times.

Even in the best of times, U.S. leaders have stumbled trying to manage the tricky transition between war and what comes after. Following every “war to end all wars,” the American people demand a “peace dividend” that often cuts defense spending too deep for too long, eroding military preparedness. Congress resists shuttering unneeded bases, stopping unnecessary weapons production, or decommissioning excess reserve units that represent jobs in home districts. The result is military forces that are unbalanced and inefficient. The Pentagon plans to fight the last war, only with a smaller force, rather than adjusting adequately to new limitations and threats on the horizon.

Read more ....

My Comment: A depressing read .... because hollowing out the U.S. military is happening .... compounded further by the huge debts and obligations that the U.S. government is now faced with but not willing to confront.

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