Posted on 09/19/2011 8:10:10 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
WASHINGTON – What a buzzkill.
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley faced a huge ballroom on Monday morning ready to kick off the biggest Air Force conference of the year. But instead of giving them the old Rick Perry red meat and whipping the crowd into a frenzied, spontaneous singing of “Into the wild blue yonder,” Donley delivered a dose of Jimmy Carter malaise.
The Air Force is at war, but there also is a war on debts and deficits in Washington, he warned a cavernous ballroom of generals gathered the Air Force Association Air and Space Conference. “Efficiency” programs won’t save enough money. The Air Force must be part of spending-cut discussions. Get ready for the knife. But keep doing everything you’re doing right now.
“We will need to accept greater risk in some areas, terminate some lower-priority programs, streamline others, continue driving efficiency in our operations, and make some tough choices about the core tenets of our national security strategy,” Donley said. “It’s safe to say that every single line of the budget is under scrutiny.”
He also said international “uncertainty” requires a balanced Air Force ready to remain forward deployed, continue fighting across the conflict spectrum, fulfill current war missions and be ready for future threats, and do everything the joint staff demands of it “from humanitarian assistance to nuclear deterrence.”
The word of the day: balance. (That was also Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno’s word, as he reviews the Army’s force structure under the same spending/threat crunch.)
Donley covered all of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s talking points: the military must do its part to find cuts; no “hollow force”; “keep faith” with troops (on promised benefits). If the Air Force is too large, it is unsustainable. If the Air Force is too small, it is unsustainable. It must be modernized but not at the expense of personnel.
He singled out some capabilities for protection.
“There is no alternative to the F-35,” he said, answering congressional murmurs that perhaps that entire program deserves the axe.
Also worth saving: special operations forces; nuclear missiles and a new long-range, nuclear-armed bomber; airlift and aerial refueling; the decade’s massive build up in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, particularly aboard drones; and anything cyber.
From disaster responses to Libya-type no-fly zones, Donley later explained to reporters the force must continue to be prepared to do it all.
“We know that we will be asked to do those sorts of missions in the future,” he said.
Air Force leadership already has determined that none of the Air Force’s twelve “core functions” required by the Joint Chiefs can be cut, he said.
So, if the Air Force must have everything and be prepared to do everything, what are the hard choices?
“The choices are how fast you can respond, how many of certain types of operations can be undertaken at the same time, or the distance in time between the first operation and second operation – those are the choices,” he said. That also includes the U.S. military footprint around the world and potential “trade-offs” in the balance of troops in Europe, the Persian Gulf and the Pacific.
But for his speech, the audience sat almost entirely silent -- a marked difference from past conferences. One line about saving the nuclear triad drew a smattered slow-clap.
Even Donley’s built-in applause lines fell flat.
This is a “season of important national debate and there will likely be more budget churn to come,” he said, but they will ensure the U.S. “continues to have the world’s finest Air Force for generations to come.”
Crickets.
The military has no love for these nationalist socialists who pose as liberal democrats.The cat is out of the bag, the military knows that budget cuts will be used to get rid of whole command echolons that are likely to be resistant to the maleability required to bring about a fascist perffect society that uses our military for ideological purposes unrelated to strategic need, keeping world peace , or supporting allies. The USA will not have any of its former allies soon, it will be just another nation which has become lost to a political class that is disconnected from its people and the nations constitution.Civil war and invasion of our country are being invited.
The military , including the Air Force, will not accept this fact unless the Obama Czars move to redefine its role in making our nation strong, by disempowerment.
“It’s safe to say that every single line of the budget is under scrutiny.”
Bullshit. I guarantee you the integration of homosexuals, drag queens and militant lesbians will continue fully funded across the board at DOD.
The Air Force is convening a RIF Board on Majors soon; the Navy will do the same for Second Class petty Officers next year, and the Army is facing the specter of entire units returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to an immediate Reduction of Force Discharge to immediate unemployment.
God Save the United States from this Kenyan face dancer.
How many, fat-ass two term (or retired)ex-congress people do we have out there right now, sitting on their asses drawing life-time benefits for doing nothing?
It’s a sober summation of the current budget and operations situation.
-There is no alternative to the F-35. It is the future backbone of tactical USAF air operations and CONUS air defense.
-The nuclear “Triad?” It used to exist during the Cold war years but to my knowledge, an active 24/7/365 mix of land based/SSBN/airborne nuclear assets hasn’t existed since 1992. We have ICBMs in silos and SSBNs patrolling the seas......but B-1s were relieved of their on-call status 20 years ago, B-52s maintain a nuclear role but not on alert, and B-2s the same. I don’t believe F-15/16 units forward deployed are actively trained in tactical nuclear delivery anymore. Could be wrong.
-Budget scrutiny is the word even at $600B dollar budgets. I don’t foresee any new ICBM development but the next long-range platform (be it manned or un) will be a half billion per copy no matter what.
To Candor7, the modern U.S. military entity is as politically correct as the U.S. government itself. Do not forget the military is a part of the government and accordingly politics is a huge part of that game. There are many political liberals in the U.S. military. Politics plays as big a role in the military as it does the Federal Government structure.
“the modern U.S. military entity is as politically correct as the U.S. government itself. Do not forget the military is a part of the government and accordingly politics is a huge part of that game. There are many political liberals in the U.S. military. Politics plays as big a role in the military as it does the Federal Government structure.”
You are full of it!
The Air Force now is smaller than it was at the start of World War II. As is the Navy ship count.
Chew upon that. Remember, it took nearly two years into 1943 before the Air Force could be built up for offensive missions against the Axis powers. In that time Japan swept across the Pacific and scores of thousands of Americans died in retreat or were taken prisoner.
And that two year buildup was only possible because of the huge manufacturing capacity and immense industrial base of the US. Now that’s all gone. Everything we have is manufactured in China, including our computer technical wizardry. All we have left is Walmart importers, computer game designers, lawyers, and journalism majors.
And in the next few years, Israel will be attacked by the newly united Arab states, China will invade Taiwan and the islands of the South China Sea, amd Latin America will turn communist.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Don't be so quick there. I can tell you that there are, although outnumbered, liberal officers at least. Maybe I'm just jealous, but the Air Force does seem to have quite a bit of fluff that could be cut (look at their tour lengths, living arrangements, etc).
Liberals are vastly outnumbered in the military and hold no power of consequence.
You don't think that the communists in the Senate aren't going to protect the O-6s and higher who grovel so well, the ones who were short stroked into Harvard and Yale for a Masters? Good grades at Hudson High are an automatic in to the Ivy League Grad Program. Even if the socialists in the Air Force get RIFed out, they will be a lobbyist before the parking spot gets re-assigned.
That the fairies are being blessed by the Pentagon is a given. If they didn't have some drag, the Girlies would be in Adak, Alaska, counting rocks. Instead, they are Untouchable.
They are not in the JCS now and Obuggery and the Senate majority are gone next year. The new pres will reverse all of this idiocy.
Watch yourself. Powell, Casey, and other liberal darling officers didn't go to USMA.
My questions are these— is this change— related to the Obama Repeal of DADT? i.e. is it cover-up for the “change “ given us by the Reprobate in the WhiteHouse at the hands of a Democratic Party DIVORCED from the Founding Principles of - Religion, Morality, and Knowledge. At no time in American history has Congress decided homosexuals ought serve openly in the armed forces. — Or is this “change” truly a response to the economy (which seems properly laid at the feet of Obama) Note: a crappy economy seems to imrove recruitment and retention -thus would seem to aid the Commie Revolutionary plan to fundamentally change America. Not only are we facing cuts in our military— but cuts in budget— all at a time when we are still deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and now Libya. It seems with War without end our CINC is determined to destroy America?
If the Ruskies ever thought about having an oportunity for a first strike on us, this is the period of time they would do it. Let regional wars start up first, then when we are full occupied or running on vapors they hit us.
RINOs are well aware that if they actually start charging and trying the previous administration, when the Dems steal the next election in 2014, it'll be payback time.
IMHO, your opinion has no merit.
Before we weaken the security of the United States, I truly believe Unions will have to dump their RUBBER ROOMS - that includes teacher’ unions as well. Two of Obama’s favorites. The Generals must make this demand on their civilian counter parts before moving forward on any military cuts.
Excellent observation....but Progressives (former Democrats) really don't see fraud, theft, or any crimes they are accused of as pertinent to them unless of course some Conservative/Republican is getting blamed - then man it's Katy bar the door!
And you, apparently, aren’t capable of forming a cogent opinion at all. Check your meds. Those voices seem to be getting louder. Suggestion: Listen to the one that says, “Jump...” and leave your wallet so they know what to put on the toe tag.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.