Regardless of who won and lost in Gates’ plan, what will really matter now is how Congress reacts. So far, Hill reaction to the Gates’ moves is cautiously supportive. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) called it a good faith effort but pointedly noted that, “the buck stops with Congress which has the critical Constitutional responsibility to decide whether to support these proposals.”
Rep. Murtha praised Gates for taking “an important first step in balancing the Departments wants with our nations needs. For far too long, the Defense Department has failed to address these challenges, and I applaud the Secretary for conducting this comprehensive review.” But he echoed Skeltons comments that Congress will have the next say in how the nation spends its treasure.
The ranking Republican on the HASC, Rep. John McHugh (NY), was much more critical. He said that Gates’ decision to move substantial amounts of funding that had been in supplemental spending bills into the baseline budget “will be tantamount to an $8 billion cut in defense spending” without an increase in the budget topline. He noted that the GOP supports building such funding into the regular defense budget, just not at the expense of overall spending.
McHugh also questioned Gates on missile defense, saying that the defense secretary’s decision to move money to the SM-3 and THAAD programs and to effectively freeze Ground-based Midcourse funding “places unnecessary risk to the homeland. Just a day after North Korea launched a long range ballistic missile the Secretary missed an opportunity to re-commit to investment in missile defense capabilities.”
Overall, Gates has made some dramatic decisions. But Winslow Wheeler, a former Congressional budget staffer and now an analyst at the Center for Defense Information, wonders how much will actually change.
“While Washington DC hisses and spits over the secretary’s hardware recommendations, it is probably more important to ask, what has changed, and if anything has, where are we now going? It does not appear that the basic DOD budget has changed; this set of decisions may be budget neutral, or it may even hold in its future expanded net spending requirements,” he said. “While many decisions were made, the Pentagon ship of state appears to be very much on the same basic course.”
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Winslow Wheeler is correct(even Gates has acknowledged as much)that what is happening now is more a reaction to the current economic turmoil than any real mindset change in doing business within the military, Pentagon, or Congress.
The Diane Rehm Show had Col. Douglas Macgregor,Rebecca Grant,and John Bennett on talking about the defense budget. They were agreed that Obama needs to be take more of a lead in spelling out what he thinks are priorities.
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/09/04/07.php#24174
But anyways sooner i think in someways your right.
Its like the mess with the carrier being based in florida…on the face of it having all those carriers in one spot gives one hell of a target.
But the poloticains have to have a poo flinging contest.
harharhar
in right place now :)
I hate to say it but Oboma will try to exericse executive judgement to shape the new DOD policies in the years to come. But buying weapons systems like the F-22 etc are in Congress hands and they have to become brave to eliminate wastefull system. Does anyone believer that the contractors, unions and local opposition to these plans get into full steam that congressmen or Senators who are siting for reelection next year will do anything to change the system? Lets hope there is some change but I think its wishful thinking but at least Oboma tryed right hahah.
“But the poloticains have to have a poo flinging contest.”
It was ever thus…
This Obama defense budget is a real can of worms for the left wingers as it is essentially status quo. Not revolutionary like his domestic policy plans. BMD is intact with increased funding to THADD and Aegis, systems that use the similar hit to kill technology as the ICBM ABM the left hates so much. BMD lives on. Even the ABL survived, a major shock to the lefties.
Sec Gates has killed what needed to be killed and has preserved the big re-capitalizations needed for the fighter fleet, tanker fleet and surface fleet. The left-wingers hate it and no doubt will begin the agitprop to dump Sec. Gates.
richardb said:
“This Obama defense budget is a real can of worms for the left wingers as it is essentially status quo. Not revolutionary like his domestic policy plans. BMD is intact with increased funding to THADD and Aegis, systems that use the similar hit to kill technology as the ICBM ABM the left hates so much. BMD lives on. Even the ABL survived, a major shock to the lefties.
Sec Gates has killed what needed to be killed and has preserved the big re-capitalizations needed for the fighter fleet, tanker fleet and surface fleet. The left-wingers hate it and no doubt will begin the agitprop to dump Sec. Gates.”
That’s one of the dumber damn things I’ve read all day. And I work for the Air Force, so that’s saying something.
Gates cut programs that are non-functioning. Most Dems and lefties like that.
Of course, under Bush, we kept throwing money away on shit that doesn’t work. Republicans and wingnuts like that.
Try to think before you say something stupid, and stop making it so easy for me.
Soonergrunt, perhaps you could enlighten me. From my inexpert read, it seems Gates did not radically change things. ABM is still intact and Obama did not end the ABL. Congress will probably soften the changes. More like cost cutting. The Democrats I have read on line this morning seem a bit taken back that we should “build the forces needed for the irregular wars we will be fighting for decades”. But then if that was true, why cut FCS? Why slow on sea and lift capability, delay refueling and even suggest F-16s cover for Wart Hogs? Does ht e Air Force like that? MRAPS that can cover the ground in Afghanistan would help.
And as long as Russian air defense protects our adversaries what better striker than Raptors? IS there a more advanced fighter in the works? B-52s can fly for how much longer? The F-15s?
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Posted by: soonergrunt at April 7, 2009 06:54 PM
Sooner realy man think about it this way if you were a conservitive or a republican and said those words..
“…non-functioning. Most Dems and lefties like that.
Of course, under Bush, we kept throwing money away on shit that doesn’t work. Republicans and wingnuts like that.”
Dude you sound like a wingnut or someone who just doesnt want to admit the truth. The democrats who have near absolute power to make laws now are getting away with murder. I and many i know may have disagreed with some of the things bush said or did but, i can atleast admit he did some stupid shite.
Dont hold the Democrates or obama up on a pedistal youll be ashamed of what the light eventuualy shows about them and yourself..
/Goes off to listen to some music…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM0WIP7eMYs
“Soonergrunt, perhaps you could enlighten me. From my inexpert read, it seems Gates did not radically change things. ABM is still intact and Obama did not end the ABL. Congress will probably soften the changes. More like cost cutting. The Democrats I have read on line this morning seem a bit taken back that we should “build the forces needed for the irregular wars we will be fighting for decades”. But then if that was true, why cut FCS? Why slow on sea and lift capability, delay refueling and even suggest F-16s cover for Wart Hogs? Does ht e Air Force like that? MRAPS that can cover the ground in Afghanistan would help.
And as long as Russian air defense protects our adversaries what better striker than Raptors? IS there a more advanced fighter in the works? B-52s can fly for how much longer? The F-15s?
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@valcan
“The democrats who have near absolute power to make laws now are getting away with murder.”
Like what, exactly?
What has happened in the last 75 or so days?
Mark Levin says it best: http://www.marklevinshow.com/wp-content/themes/levin/player/?url=http://podloc.andomedia.com/dloadTrack.mp3?prm=2824xhttp://citadelcc.vo.llnwd.net/o29/network/Levin/MP3/levin04062009.mp3
Soonergrunt, wasn’t it Rep. Barney Frank, a leading light of the loony left that wanted a 25% cut at the DOD? See here
http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2008/10/24/frank-calls-for-25-percent-cut-in-defense-spending-eventual-tax-hikes/
I could go on and find lots more quotes from leading lefties on how the DOD should be cut far more than Obama’s first budget. I stand by what I said, the left will hate this budget and hate Gates for being an effective Sec of Def. Why I bother to respond to you is the real stupid thing here, you seem to be challenged with the basics of the English language but I do thank you for your service.
“Gates cut programs that are non-functioning.”
More or less my initial impression. The comment about…what was the phrase…”missed an opportunity to re-commit to investment in missile defense capabilities.” amused me, because the money is being transferred to the SM-3-Improved-Standard-and-Aegis missile defence system. Which works (sort of) and has been successfully jerry-rigged for ASAT work in the past as well.
I know this sort of thing does erode a capability lead by increments, but a ‘version 2′ evolved out of previous designs (like AESA-equipped Super Hornets) does usually seem more attainable compared to the complete system level ‘brand-new-shiny-thing’ that the defence industry seems to have obsessed over in the last decade (FCS, F-22, CVF/JSF pairing*, FRES, DDX, etc). Yes, it delivers less of a growth in capability but the latter as often as not doesn’t deliver any capability at all…..
The DD-51 class production is something I’m a fan of for similar reasons. Plus, the more AEGIS platforms you have, the more willing you are to (partially & temporarily) junk them as test-beds for BMD platforms, making that easier too, and so forth.
* A perfect example: design a carrier at the same time as the only aircraft it operates so neither have a firm set of requirements for their interfaces with the other. What a brilliant idea. You’re fired.
Selecting Gates as SecDef may be Obama’s biggest mistake – at least one hopes.
Hope Gates can maintain a military infrastructure that will allow quick rebuilding once Obama and the leftists are ushered out in 2012.
Ok, so you’ve shown you can cherry pick a quote from Barney Frank.
Here’s what he’s talking about, and a little bit of context from Wikipedia:
As of the 111th Congress, Frank is advocating a 25 percent reduction in the overall Military budget of the United States. “The math is compelling: if we do not make reductions approximating 25 percent of the military budget starting fairly soon, it will be impossible to continue to fund an adequate level of domestic activity…,” wrote Frank. He claimed that such a significant reduction would have no effect on the United States’ ability to defend itself. “If,” he said, “beginning one year from now, we were to cut military spending by 25 percent from its projected levels, we would still be immeasurably stronger than any combination of nations with whom we might be engaged.” The U.S. military budget is almost equivalent to the rest of the world’s defense spending combined, and is over eight times larger than that of China, the next biggest spender.
Now, while I don’t necessarily agree with the Congressman, I can see where he’s coming from. Of course, one guy stating his belief about the necessity of doing something does not mean an entire group of people who number in the millions happens to like the idea, or dislike the institution to which the idea applies.
The plural of anecdote is not data.
And on a side note, I don’t give a tinker’s damn how you feel about my service.
VERY cool piece, imo that talks about this subject from a different perspective.
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/04/07/will-the-military-industrial-complex-save-american-foreign-policy/
Barney Frank is an idiot who has no idea what he is talking about. Defense spending is only some 4% or so of the GDP. Yet apparently some idiot congressmen would take that too and waste it on welfare or some other nonsense.
While Barney Frank may be an idiot, let’s measure defense spending as a percentage of THIS year’s GDP.
Sorry your failed pet program got axed.
Sorry. I suggested Dems were thinking a ending the Wart Hog (Bush tried that too) and I wondered if the Air Force would like the F-16 or another air craft to take on its role. Didn’t this blog report problems with F-15s? I did see Gates discuss why he cut FCS, but where is the rush for a better idea?
As long as Russian air defenses which the Raptor is designed to penetrate is sold to our adversaries, the F-22 sounds like a reasonable idea. And I wonder why cutting edge products are not sound thinking. What is the concept to production time frame as China and Russia announce new advanced fighter programs? Of course, yes, there IS limited capital, but then why isn’t the DOD funding a “stimulus”?
No, it doesn’t look like Obama is investing much more in missile defense which is rather important considering our becoming sitting ducks. As Americans watch Obama increase spending in most areas, they will note the drop in defense spending now that Iraq and Afghanistan have been added to the baseline.
And why the slow going on refueling and air and sea lift capacity.
No, I’m not an expert…lol, but many more Americans are becoming aware of our dunbious direction and even Liberals don’t exactly swallow Biden’s telling us, don’t worry, we are all a lot safer than we were Novemeber 1, 2008.
Here is another recent story on the left’s push to cut defense spending more than Obama and Gates intend.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/left-fires-back-on-budget-2009-03-25.html
The people quoted in that story are on the left wind of the democratic party. These people won’t like this Obama-Gates budget and I predict, rather than attack Obama, they’ll go after Gates and use their finely honed left wing attack machine such as Kos, MSNBC and far left bloggers to do the heavy lifting.
I have to agree with sooner keith olberman is about the last person id call “finly honed”..or sane..or logical..
of course then there whats his name who has orgasims who obama talks….
With the MSM CNN,MSNBC,CNBC, you name it even fox its not so much what they say as what you dont say.
You can lie easier by omitting the part of the story that makes the story work better to your ends.
Obama needs to think logically here. Russians are no friends of ours. They know missile defense works. That’s why they ask us to remove it from Europe. If missile defense didn’t work they wouldn’t be saying that. BO needs to wake up.
If spending 750B a year on ‘defense’ related activities does not buy you supremacy, then maybe we are doing something wrong. No one even comes close to the US, now, or in the future. No one can or will ever project and sustain power like the US.
Being the US is not as easy is we think, and that is why no one really want to replace us, even though the Chinese are not living up to their repsonsiblites and letting the US do their dirty work; but they do pay our bills, so it is win-win.
(Amusing Side note-the US spends 750B SLF gov, on ‘education’ and the results are suspect also)
What about CSAR? What about existing CSAR? No reaction at all from anyone? Did we need the discrete capability? Does it exist now?