As expected the cheerleaders of the military-industrial-complex and Bush-Cheney neocon 'dead-enders' are in tizzy over the 'cuts' in military spending proposed yesterday by President Obama. (Washington Post)
Despite the hysteria from the fearmongers, however, the truth is that the plan does not cut the Pentagon budget.
In typical Washington parlance, these 'cuts' are actually only decreases in projected increases in spending.
Obama said it himself yesterday: "Over the next 10 years, the growth in the defense budget will slow, but the fact of the matter is this: It will still grow, because we have global responsibilities that demand our leadership." (CNN)
The fact remains that military spending -- the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines; weapons research and acquisition; contractors and consultants; intelligence; and veterans benefits -- cost the federal government at least a trillion dollars every year. This will not change even under Obama's timid plan.
As noted by MarketWatch.com, U.S. military spending has been out of control for the past decade: "Since 2000, the U.S. defense budget has ballooned to $712 billion in fiscal 2011 from just under $312 billion, mostly because of military operations in the Afghanistan and Iraq, which are now drawing to a close. Meanwhile, the national debt has climbed to more than $15 trillion from $5 trillion over the same period."
There are billions and billions of dollars that could be actually cut from the military budget and yet still keep America safe and protected -- we still have thousands and thousands of troops and multiple bases in countries like Germany, England, Italy and Japan!
Unfortunately, there are few voices in the current political landscape brave enough to challenge the Pentagon machine, the pro-war lobby, and "the military can do no wrong" crowd. Pres. Obama and Republican contenders for his job (except U.S. Rep. Paul) have shown no inclination to get military spending genuinely under control.
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