It may not feel like it, but we are compared at any time since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis closer to nuclear war. To lift North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as a fun cartoon characters the temptation to cover up the real and present danger, his samurai sword rattling gift. A strange time, then Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel set out in Vietnam since the end of the most thorough re-evaluate our defense spending.
It is no secret, Hegel relish the opportunity to slim the armed forces to more affordable size. This is President Obama praised him. He has commissioned a strategic choice of the wholesale and Management Review "The Ministry of Defence has been told, would have been unthinkable in spending cuts. This week, the former home of the defending Armed Services Committee before his eyes, he provided a glimpse into what he has in mind: a weight loss desk bound middle management, wages and allowances to spend more than the value of their contribution to the country's national defense clearly look generous health and retirement benefits the country's military and veterans to enjoy expensive advanced weapons, there is no need to give up; need a realistic assessment of our domestic military bases.
Hegel invitation changes, involving not just adjustments or minor practice in the existing structure, but if necessary, create new ", because" left unchecked, rising costs to maintain the current structures and institutions to provide welfare and development to replace aging weapons platforms will eventually dampen consumption, procurement, operations and preparation. "the U.S. military is too large, Hegel. "We have a number of people," he asked, "military and civilian? How much do we need? These people do? Us how to compensate them for their work, wages, welfare and health care services and loyalty?
Until recently, a radical approach of this military spending will be to meet the chorus disagree, not only from those constituencies, including military bases, a vote bank for those who stand for maintaining the high defense spending, but also from the United States Republican leadership. Until Bush leaves the White House, the protection of military strength is a top priority of the Republican Party. Maintain a high level of military spending, no matter what, is a key policy differences with the Democratic Party at every turn to play. Republican president since Eisenhower, military spending like a drunken sailor, require the diet of the federal government to deal with the fiscal conservatives in their ranks. Squandered our troops to contend with fiscal conservatism: backdoor Keynesian money into the economy in the doldrums.
Now, everything has changed. Tea Party fiscal hawks rule the roost, it is difficult to find a military hawk ready to come out in the open, and that his case. Fiscal hawks behind the entry into force of the sequestrum. Defense, which means that $ 4.7 billion U.S. dollars in largely arbitrary cut the pay of the troops, in order to reduce flight-hour air patrols Cancel deployed to the Persian Gulf, the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman cut the Army and Marine Corps training and other hastily arranged The improvisation savings will hinder our ability to respond to an event like crazy from Pyongyang. The fiscal hawks found that these hasty, careless, dangerous, reckless cuts only accepted military the sequestrum narrow the size of the deficit and withered government. Financial integrity and patriotic military preparations in the battle between the Republican, balancing books, wins every time.
During this period, the same members of Congress to resist the using Hegel orchestrated defense budget. Hegel, the former Republican senator from Nebraska and, more importantly, perhaps in this respect distinguished veteran of the Vietnam War, in the front line as a lowly sergeant plans to cut tens of thousands of job opportunities, the army of middle managers. "Today, the Army's combat units - measurement camp, ships and aircraft wing - has shrunk dramatically since the Cold War era, however, these smaller combat units 3 and 4 star sitting command and support structure remains intact, in addition to a few exceptions, in some cases, they actually increase in size and grade, "he said. Cutting the number of military fat cats "lead to a more flexible and effective organization and more powerful leaders of the junior high school." Now is the time, Hegel said, "to cut the world's largest back office."
Hegel also recommends off the excess military bases at home. He wants to cut the benefits of current and former members of the armed forces. In a parameter that should appeal to fiscal conservatives - This is the same argument they to cut welfare civilians - Hagel warned, "we are not going to be able to maintain the current personnel costs and retirement benefits will not have money for the budget else if you do not make cuts, the Pentagon will become rigid, "one body to manage the benefit plans, can only buy a limited number of independent, high equipment."
The fiscal conservatives despotism work in favor of Hegel. The power of a rare confluence ready to consider both sides of the political divide to bring the changing nature of defense spending, our potential adversaries. Long gone age of big business and tanks assembled. We are now faced with danger, it is best to meet the stealth fighters and bombers, cyber warriors, Special Forces incisive interventions, cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft operating from thousands of miles away.
If Hegel had his way, we should be the end of a leaner and meaner military, within our budget. But it means that some frank talk prop up outdated military structure and a crippling system relies on the Pentagon's family for their livelihoods, their homes, their education and training, so that large-scale community.
Weaning so many thousands shut down the Pentagon's generosity brave members of Congress, the hard-nosed decisions. But it may be too difficult to resist the temptation to avoid the bullets, and continue to work with the bloated military, even for those who claimed all fiscal rectitude.
 



Other News:
Global trade to be weaker than expected
The North Korean threat in an age of Pentagon cuts: Nicholas Wapshott
Activists say Syrian airstrike kills 20 people
Boehner Warned Not to Break 'Hastert Rule' on New Gun Measures
Headlines revive memories of 80s economics
Oil falls below $94 ahead of US inventory figures
Tandy Leather Factory says March sales rose
Former Texas official arrested in probe of prosecutors' slayings