Posted on 02/24/2014 6:52:15 AM PST by shove_it
WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel plans to shrink the United States Army to its smallest force since before the World War II buildup and eliminate an entire class of Air Force attack jets in a new spending proposal that officials describe as the first Pentagon budget to aggressively push the military off the war footing adopted after the terror attacks of 2001.
The proposal, described by several Pentagon officials on the condition of anonymity in advance of its release on Monday, takes into account the fiscal reality of government austerity and the political reality of a president who pledged to end two costly and exhausting land wars. A result, the officials argue, will be a military capable of defeating any adversary, but too small for protracted foreign occupations...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Some reason you left out airmen?
Absolutely correct, Armydawg. They hated us then and now, in their bitter old age, they find themselves able to act out that hatred.
TC
True and at one time it was. That was before diversity, affirmative action, “equal opportunity”, and social justice. That was then, this is now. The traitors were given the keys to the gates by We, the people and We, the people are too wrapped up in our creature comforts to do what is necessary to take the keys back.
We need to get control of our entitlements and cut welfare programs if we are going to survive.
I am a veteran and I know the defense budget can be cut in some places without crippling the military, but I don’t want us to repeat the errors of 1940. We paid in blood for being so ill-prepared for the start of WWII.
With transportation capability today it is likely any major conflict will be over quickly. In other words, you will fight with what you have on hand and if you don’t have it you lose.
The DemoCRAPS do this every time and we always end up in another War feet our Butts slammed until we can get our military rebuilt.
Just noting:
US Federal spending FY 2011:
Medicare and Medicaid: $851b
Social Security: $808b
Defense: $625b
Non-Defense Discretionary: $576b
Other Mandatory: $373b
Interest on Debt: $221b
Total: $3,454b
Federal Revenue FY 2011: $2,300b
One of the things Chavez did was to create several parallel forces which answered to him.
He of course elevated people loyal to him into command of the army and retired older officers who were not reliable.
He established a large “army reserve” that wore the same uniforms and carried the same weapons, that answered to his brother as I recall.
Then he established his “bolivarians” who were an army of street thugs provided with military weapons who could be called on to do what soldiers and cops might refuse to do.
He established a guerrilla force in the border lands who started taking over towns in the area from their elected mayors. They could be bused into the capital when needed for whatever.
He had Cuban advisors and observers in every military post to have a parallel source of information. He also had Cubans in Venezuelan uniforms to do, again, what other soldiers might not be willing to do. He had Colombian FARC serving in various capacities.
The whole result of this was to make himself coup-proof, and to have various sources of information, and various tools at his command. It would be difficult to impossible for a rival to get control of all of these. He could do things with deniability; if a rival is beaten or killed by a street gang, who’s to say its not random crime?
My point is that some of this, in a hyper-legal way, is what I see the obamists doing. Various alphabet agencies buying up bullets by the millions, establishing SWAT units for unknown reasons, increasing their control domestically while reducing the size and power of the legitimate armed forces. Agencies doing political attacks, outside agencies doing legal attacks through the courts which are intended to bankrupt their enemies. Its different but smacks of the same thing, having various arms giving you deniability and many tools in the toolkit for going after your enemies.
Does the shrink also include Obama’s storm trooper regiments in DHS, TSA, DEA, etc.?
No they are getting all the surplus mil hardware.
MRAP trucks, etc.
And we DONT HAVE THE WILL TO WIN. Every one of our wars since WW2 have ended without a real Victory.
What is sad is that this website (which I love) has been infiltrated by so many who agree with what our communist president is doing to the military. I smell the stench of gutless liberaltarians.
just a senior moment - may family has produced many military pilots
Just had to get my paranoia assuaged. Now I can finish the day! Thanks.
SecDef Hagel just opened his remarks with thanks to an underling named Hale for creating this budget and wishing him a happy and well deserved retirement which hale is beginning forthwith.
Translation: the buck stops with a Pentagon retiree.
John Bolton and Ollie North are slamming this budget on Fox right now.
Here’s why its being cut. No mystery!
June 6, 2013, the 69th anniversary of “D-Day”, the largest invasion ever
attempted, where 200,000 Americans stormed the beaches at Normandy to begin
the final push to defeat Nazi Germany in WWII. D-Day marked the turning
point in WWII in Europe, where the Nazis were engaged in mass murder of Jews
and minorities by the thousands.
Today, European heads of state make it a point to recall and honor the
sacrifices of those who landed in Normandy, as do our Presidents....
well, most of them....
In the 69 years since D-Day, there are four occasions when the President of
the United States chose not to visit the D-Day Monument that honors the
soldiers killed during the Invasion.
The occasions were:
1. Barack Obama, 2010
2. Barack Obama, 2011
3. Barack Obama, 2012
4. Barack Obama, 2013
For the past 69 years, every American President except Obama have taken the
time to honor the memory and sacrifices of the 6,000 American soldiers
killed on D-Day. ....Except Obama!
June 6 2010, Obama had no events scheduled.
June 6, 2011, Obama met with the National Security team and was interviewed
by WEWS Cleveland and WDIV in Detroit about the auto industry - FAR too busy
to visit the D-Day memorial.
June 6, 2012, instead of honoring our fallen soldiers, Obama made a campaign
trip to California on Air Force 1 (at our expense) to raise funds for (his)
upcoming election.
June 6, 2013, Obama was doing ANOTHER fund raiser with the multimillionaires
in the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Palo Alto CA, once again
at our expense.
Aren’t you proud?
I was in Arlington for the annual reunion of The Old Guard Association last October, right when the government shutdown began. We saw on TV that a group of WWII Vets were at their Memorial but it was shut down just like everything else in the DC area. At first we said we ought to go over there and give those guys some help but they didn’t need any. We were cheering as those old troopers just charged right on through the barriers and police tape. They handled the situation without any help from us or anybody else, just like they did at the Normandy beaches many moons ago.
HOOAHH!!!
Those guys probably don’t mind 0bama not showing up for their D-Day Ceremonies. They’re likely glad he didn’t ruin it for them.
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