And about time. As has been noted in a number of areas, the US is the biggest military spender on Earth, expending more on Defense than the 2nd-10th place spenders combined.
The article here is short on specifics, but a few items of note:
– Reduced European presence. Aside from convenient staging for the Middle East and North Africa, the need for a specific US armed forces presence in Europe has dropped dramatically since the end of the Cold War.
– Increased Asia-Pacific presence. A/k/a addressing China (and N Korea).
– Trims in the nuclear arsenal. Dropping the number of nuclear-armed subs from 12 to 8 seems fine to me.
– Trims in weapons programs. The toughest call, given the amount of largesse the defense contractors spread around Congress, but certainly something that must be looked at.
– Reductions in military personnel such that we can fight one regional war instead of two simultaneously. Probably the most important thing on the list, though it does make it more likely that, were we to be pinned down in a regional war, that would allow other countries to play shenanigans more openly. Sounds like a good reason to avoid getting pinned down in a regional war unless it's of paramount importance.
A good start, in my opinion. #ddtb
Embedded Link
Budget tight, U.S. unveils slimmer military – CBS News
Obama putting personal stamp on new Pentagon plan to absorb billions in budget cuts