Defense Department cuts
 

Okay so we don't have money for every program under the sun and it's time to visit the military budget. Everybody wants to cut the military budget, so....

What would you cut? Where would you trim the fat out of the budget (military)?

What programs do we need/ don't need?
What bases to we close/ keep open?
How big should our force be?
Vets benifits?

How about the CIA budget?:hmmm:

What do you guys think? It's open to anybody (all nations, not just US), as it seems everybody is hard up for cash.

The floor is open.:know:

First i would cut into the cash we are sending out to develop OTHER nations' military assets.

say... a 30% reduction across the board.

You mean like Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel?

Sure.

Any nation we are pouring money into in order to help them advance their military potency.

we obviously need to have a massive phase out of Iraq and Afghanaland. I think we have done just about all we can do in both locations.

Defense is an expensive business, and its hard to justify virtually any budget cuts.

If i were to trim the fat from the budget, the trimming would end with defense cuts... not start there.

I think there are a lot of special interest items around the nation that need to be trimmed, i think politicians should take a pay cut to the point that it would attract only the truly patriotic individuals in this nation.

Current congressional salary is just over $170K... i say eliminate the salary. They are in session for about 150 days a year right? cool... then the new pay rate will be $400 per day in session. daily per diem will be $1.55/hour for each 24 hour period in session. Automatic enrollment in Obamacare.

I could sit and get a lot of ideas.

Use of Air Force One should be limited to international trips, or during domestic trips in a time of crisis.

All domestic trips of over 300 miles can be relegated to a Gulfstream V

save a lot on the fuel bill that way

I don't see why we need new ACs, why not just maintain the old ones. I guess the sub force is doing its best to adapt by concerting SSBNs to SSGNs.

I wonder how much it costs to mothball some this high tech stuff? (like the F-22, say) Just find a big warehouse and store them.

I'd cut smaller bases. Why does OR need an air national guard. As anti-military as OR is, they sure freaked out about cutting them.:haha:
How many bases are there in the interior of the country ( not weapon's depots).

First thing I would do is send Nancy Pelosi the bill for her AF usage.:woot:

well first of all...we need to reign in the JSF and other defense programs that keep going grossly over budget.

Can the JSF and replace it with the Silent Eagle and stealth Hornet.
Cancel the DDX and restart DDG 51 Production. Consider non Aegis DDG platform (big missile boxes but no radar).
Reevaluate the LCS program and consider buying overseas designs like the Danish Knud Rasmusen class.
Place the B-2 in reserve.
Non nuclear guided missile submarines. Big punch low cost.

Decommission a few carriers and their airwings then give them to your favourite cousins across the pond....that should save a few $ :DL

The Royal Navy would need to bring back Press Gangs just to get enough sailors to crew them! :O:

Plus changing all the operating manuals and signage in to British English would bankrupt the Royal Navy. :haha:

Public transit could make money, why can't the military do the same?

just a random thought

You mean like Tribute? :hmmm:

:haha:

I Like It! :yeah:

LOL :DL

Are we renting out the military to the highest bidder? How exactly would that work?

I can think of ways to use the military to gain income, but it's not exactly a list of the most ethical methods.

Bodyguards?
Movies?

Yeah and it's only paid if they actually show up.

The military has wanted to make large cuts for years. There are way too many bases.

The trouble of course is that there are many bases not for military reasons, but political reasons. Every base is a case cow for some congressional district. Everyone wants cuts—in someone else's district.

They have independent base closure panels, and then many of their recommendations are overturned as the congress critters align to fight it (here in NM one of the few things the dems and reps agree on and cooperate on 100% as a delegation is to never touch ANY of our bases unless it's to make them bigger!).

Still, the bulk of cuts need to be SS and Medicare or pretty much all is lost.

Heh, I can think of a few ways the USAF can cut costs.

Put the fighter mafia out of power. Those high tech jets they want so much? F22, JSF, etc etc, wahtever whatever.......Do we *REALLY* need those when F16's, F15's, etc seem to be doing the job admirably?

Stop spending so much damn money on base beautification. As an AF Civil Engineer, ive spent time on Air bases, Army camps, and a NCTC. Air bases look MUCH nicer, and it is unneccessary.

For example, ive helped to installed fencing on one Airbase, that looks kinda like this:
http://www.bellprivacyfence.com/images/IMG_1397.JPG
This type of fencing is NOT cheap, and we put it up all over the place. A chain link fence with a stretch of canvas would have accomplished the same thing, for 1/4 to 1/2 the cost. But nooooooo. The General wanted a pretty base more then functional equipment. (I hate Toy Bases)

The "Spend all the money or we won't get as much next year" system needs to be redone. For those that don't know. Government agencies are alloted a fiscal budget. They get so much money a year. If they do not spend it, they don't get as much next year. From a big picture standpoint this makes sense. Why give an area more money that what they use and drive costs up? The trouble is at a local level these agencies are fearful of not having enough money to get their job done next fiscal year. So they make sure they spend ALL they money they get ever year, however they can.

The end result? At the end of the fiscal year, you have 1 and 2 stripe airman being "issued" 50+ dollar tools, that they do not sign a hand receipt for. Which means, they don't have to give them back. If you never signed for it, its yours to keep. So Dear taxpayer, Thank your my Leatherman, my Super leatherman, Gerber multifunction tool, and Makita cordless drill. All free, on your dime.

I kid you not, at one base i saw a guy going through the CE compound literally tossing these things out of a crate at anyone who wanted one. Naturally, we ALL did, who'd pass that up? (They were THAT desperate to spend the rest of the budget) Of course this was 14 years ago. Maybe times have changed. (I doubt it).

Most of them aren't in it for the pay, if pay was the reason they would be elsewhere running law firms. Many are in it for the after effect, those high paying lobbiest jobs, sitting on boards, etc... I think you could pay them 0 and 90% of the same people would still run.

As for defense cuts, shut down those many left over cold war bases in Europe, restructure and place them on our southern border protecting America.