Sequestration Will Hollow Out Force Fast, Dempsey Says

Defense Dot Gov ^ | 17 Jan 13 | By Jim Garamone

[SkyPilot]

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Jan. 17, 2013 – The across-the-board spending cuts that would result if a “sequestration” mechanism in budget law kicks in March 1 will hollow out U.S. military forces faster than most Americans imagine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said during a recent news briefing that if sequestration happens, the American military “will be less prepared in months and unprepared in a year.”

During an interview today on his return trip from NATO meetings in Brussels, the general said the cuts would quickly bring about a new type of hollow force.

The chairman stressed that deployed and deploying service members will be exempted from the effects of a sequester. The United States will not send any service member overseas without the best preparation, equipment and supplies possible, he said.

This actually covers a great many people. Service members in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Kuwait, aboard ships at sea, and flying and supporting deployed aircraft “will continue to have our unwavering support,” Dempsey said. “We have a moral obligation to make sure that they are ready and the next [unit] to deploy is ready.”

If sequestration is triggered March 1 -- six months into fiscal 2013 -- the department will have only six months to absorb those cuts, the chairman noted. So, if the deployed force is ready, and the next force to deploy is getting ready, “there’s not going to be any operations and training money left for the rest of the force,” he said.

[SkyPilot]

We’re broke.

We are. We are borrowing.

Whenever someone tells me "we're broke" however, I ask them: "If we are broke, then does that mean we should make significant cuts in Medicare and Social Security - now?"

I always get an answer that those programs are not "entitlements" (even though they fit the exact definition by law) and that people need to get "their money" out of it first.

All Social Security payments are funded by more borrowing and by payroll taxes on current workers. Period. There is no magic "vault" of money. Yes, politicians may have spent it and replaced it with IOUs. Welcome to the club.

We are now going to borrow about 2 Trillion more, and none of that money will take care of stopping sequestration. That would take a relative pittance ($80 Billion this year). But, entitlements just keep on a rolling along. All of the. SS and Medicare. Also Medicaid. Those 3 eat up the majority of the budget. Add welfare to the mix, and almost 70% of all Federal outlays are direct payments to individuals.

[Steel Wolf]

Thumbs up to that whole list. America has neither the inclination nor the stomach for either warfare in general, or being the world’s policeman in specific.

The U.S. is more than capable of defending ourselves and our interests against any and all comers for 500 billion dollars. What’s being lost is our global force projection capability and our garrisons of wealthy, industrial nations, and to that I say good riddance.

It’s time to pull the plug on the empire, and get back to being a republic.

[SkyPilot]

Shouldn't our defense, one of the constitutional primary roles of the federal government, be based on a risk/threat assessment and the protection of our strategic national interests?

Well said kabar.

To RFEngineer, the DoD has already been cut (in real dollars) by $450 Billion under Obama. Sequestration is $600 Billion on top of that, and even Panetta has said it will "devastate" the armed forces.

Yet, I don't see anyone's EBT card not producing the goodies.

This nation's priorities are 180 degrees out of phase. Entitlements are sapping our national will, our morality, and our economy. Yet, entitlements were "off the table" during the comically named 2011 Budget Control Act. They were "exempt" from the Super Committee because the Democrats didn't want to discuss them. Entitlement reform was briefly floated by the GOP during the fiscal cliff talks, and they quickly chickened out.

[kabar]

We struture our forces based on mission and a threat analysis. Do you expect the US to be engaged in WWII naval battles?

LCS is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation. It is designed to defeat asymmetric �anti-access� threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft.

The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and Independence variant - designed and built by two industry teams, respectively led by Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works. These seaframes will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called Mission Packages, which can be changed out quickly. Mission packages are supported by special detachments that will deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support of mine, undersea and surface warfare missions.

as always training will be cut because the perfumed princes of the pentagon don’t make any money from it as opposed to their fancy overpriced weapons systems and post retirement consulting fees. notice they didn’t list cutting all flag officers by 60% which would be a good start.

A cynical view that questions the loyalty and patriotism of our military leadership. I don't take such a jaundiced view. And cutting the number of flag officers will not save a lot of money.

When I served in the Navy (1965-72) we had 600 ships and the Draft. We are now down well below three hundred ships. Our carrier force has been reduced by one. The operations tempo caused by two wars has taken its toll on equipment and personnel. There is no doubt that we can spend our defense money wiser and more efficiently and I would say the same thing about Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc. If I were to set priorities, defense would be number one. Without it, everything else is at risk. And a weaker America will invite challenges to our national interests that will cost far more than the $50 billion we save from DOD.

[SkyPilot]

And we don’t need $8,000 hammers.

Nice. Repeating outright lies and exaggerations from the main stream media now?

I have a better option.

Moderate reform to "the Big 3" - Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to preserve the programs and stop our fiscal insanity. Stop ObamaCare (wait until that kicks in). And scale back all "giveaway" welfare programs such as Secion 8, TANF, and Food Stamps by 5% a year for next three years.

We are bleeding as a nation because of entitlements, not defense spending.

[RFEngineer]

“To RFEngineer, the DoD has already been cut (in real dollars) by $450 Billion under Obama. Sequestration is $600 Billion on top of that, and even Panetta has said it will “devastate” the armed forces.”

That’s over 10 years, so they aren’t “real dollars” as you claim. It’s really 1/10th of what you claim, isn’t it? Let’s just have honesty here. You are doing the liberal thing - aggregating cuts over 10 years to imply that they are a single year number - which you know they are not.

Is $500Bn not enough? I don’t care what Panetta said. Is $500Bn enough for our national defense?

You can answer “yes or no” or you can not answer by answering in classic bureaucrat fashion, as you are right now.

$500Bn is a lot of money, by the way, don’t you think?

[Terry Mross]

I was thinking the same thing. Then again we don’t know what kind of “army” the libs have hidden.

As for Dempsey, he’s a political hack.

I do wonder why liberal politicians are for destroying this country. Their children and most grandchildren will be taken care of but eventually their decendents are going to pay.

[SkyPilot]

We are having the classical fight of Guns vs Butter that occurs in declining powers and civilizations. Butter always wins because it has more constituents. Look what has happened in Europe. They are spending 1% or less on defense. They have lost the power to project power and defend their interests. The French can't even send its troops to Mali without our logistical support.

The parallels between the decline of America and the decline of the Roman empire are frightening....right down to our modern Bread (entitlements and welfare) and Circuses (sports and sick entertainment culture).

[castlebrew]

If Dempthey had actually stood up on his hind legs and demonstrated even a modicum of leadership, he wouldn’t have to worry about a “hollowing” based on mass departures due to low morale...

[kabar]

If we did not design our ships and planes to fight enemies who have Star Trek technologies which none of our closest potential adversaries have, we probably can afford more ships and planes.

LOL. That is not why we design our ships and planes. It is about having military superiority over any existing or future enemy. Superior ships and planes are force multipliers when it comes to dealing with an enemy who may have lots of troops like the Iraqis, but can't compete militarily. Smart bombs, cruise missiles, etc. mean we need less planes and ships--and fewer military personnel.

If we stop being a policeman in the world and try to use our superpower status in the world to remake the world into the US by force we probably would not be broke and can afford more planes and ships.

More Leftist propaganda. The US has strategic national interests and we need a national security capability to advance them.

The Cold War ended under Bush41 and the US had a chance for period of peace and recontruction. Instead we went about criticizing countries over human rights and interfere in civil wars that were none of our business.

The Soviet Union broke up, but the Cold War is not dead in terms of our relationship with Russia and China. In fact, China is increasing its military capabillities.

I have no problem in criticing countries over their human rights policies. We should continue doing it. I can tell you from firsthand experience that the Polish people appreciated Reagan's characterization of the Soviet Union as the "Evil Empire." It gave hope to everyone who languished in prisons for speaking out against tyranny.

Bush42 let the neocons make more enemies and at the same time bankrupt the US. Economic implosion, weariness of foreign wars lead to the election of Obama and reelection of Obama.

Neocons is a code word. I get it. You are an anti-semite.

[Liberty Valance]

[SkyPilot]

I have to laugh because else I would cry. Too much truth to that cartoon.

More of the signs of our national collapse:

First Term: Americans Collecting Disability Increased 1,385,418—Now 1 for Each 13 Full-Time Workers

[Future Snake Eater]

This is a secret? We can thank the Republicans for this. I honestly don’t blame the Democrats. Like the proverbial scorpion, it’s simply their nature.

[Lancey Howard]

Dempsey is Ubama’s man, yet here he is bemoaning cuts to the military? ...The very cuts his boss, Ubama, and the Democrat party lust for? Sure. Another Ubama scumbag, Leon Panetta, was saying the same kinds of things not long ago. And he said them with a straight face.

How stupid do you have to be not to see through this game?

If you make the proposed military cuts sound draconian and “devastating”, etc., then the Republicans will HAVE to “negotiate” to save the military. Of course, IN RETURN for the Democrats agreeing to let the Republicans “save” the military , well... there better not be any real cuts to the Democrats’ welfare/moocher/vote-buying programs.

Some deal, huh?

THE SEQUESTRATION CUTS MUST BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN !!

[Daffynition]

That title banner behind the Muslim, when abbreviated is **WTF**. Heh

[SkyPilot]

That’s over 10 years, so they aren’t “real dollars” as you claim. It’s really 1/10th of what you claim, isn’t it? Let’s just have honesty here.

The DoD cut made that $450 Billion cut and has already paid dearly for it. Yes, the entire figure is a 10 year figure, and that is $45 Billion per year that the Dod coughed up. Name one other Federal agency that made that kind of real dollar cut? Taps foot.........

These were not "cuts in growth" - they ARE real dollar cuts. You want honesty? That is honesty. The military cut thousands of jobs, canceled many modernization programs, and cut force strength.

Google it if you don't believe me.

Army slashing 8,700 jobs as budget cuts begin

DoD to cut more than just weapons systems

Air Force cutting 13,500 civilian jobs

Sequestration is a ten year, $600 Billion evisceration on top of that $450 Billion.

You can spin this from here to next Sunday, but the baby does not get any less ugly.

I don’t care what Panetta said.

Panetta is a Democrat, working for the worst, most leftist President in American history. Even Panetta could not stomach what Obama and Congress were doing. If you can't accept this fact, that's your problem.

$500Bn is a lot of money, by the way, don’t you think?

Defense is about 18-20% of the Budget before the previous cuts. The DoD does not get that full amount, because the Defense budget is historically larded with pork that has nothing to do with Defense. This happens each and every year. Some AIDS research is in the DoD budget, on top of other garbage. Congress does this because they can get away with it. Factor in sequestration, and it goes down even more. Defense spending today is at historic lows in terms of GDP.

Under Bath House Barry, the DoD budget has shrunk even more than this chart projects. Soon, the DoD will approach about 2.8% GPD.

Is $500Bn not enough?

Lol! You keep repeating that. Try this on for size: during the January "Fiscal Cliff" deal the GOP gave away $200 Billion to the Democrats to extend (yet again!) unemployment benefits. That is ONE giveaway program out of all them that got full funding, sending checks to people to not work. For almost 2 year. And since 2008, we have spent almost 3/4 of a Trillion dollars paying people not work.

This debate is about our national soul. Our priorities, and our future.

Our military might is directly tied to our international standing and our economy. Fools never seem to be able to grasp this.

I think we are just about finished as a nation.

[RFEngineer]

“Lol! You keep repeating that. Try this on for size: during the January “Fiscal Cliff” deal the GOP gave away $200 Billion to the Democrats to extend (yet again!) unemployment benefits. That is ONE giveaway program out of all them that got full funding,”

Another red herring. There is no opinion expressed over any other spending, if you wish to imply that I support wasteful spending of any kind, make the accusation, but I’m talking about the defense budget.

Is $500Bn enough for Defense?

“This debate is about our national soul. Our priorities, and our future.”

It’s also about spending of all kinds, our deficit, and many other things.

If you truly care about the defense of the country, and I don’t doubt that, you should figure out ways to defend the country on drastically less money than even $500Bn, because that all that we’ll be able to spend. I think its not only possible, but likely that we’ll have to.

But defending the Defense department bureaucracy and generic “sky is falling if we don’t get $X budget” is not the way it’s going to be.

How would we defend the US with a $100Bn annual budget, for instance is a question that the Defense dept should be able to answer. How about $50Bn? I’m not kidding. This is what we could be facing with the level of budget problems we have.

The solution is not to claim our “national soul” requires a greater than $500Bn defense budget.

The “national soul” calls for much more than what is in a budgetary spreadsheet. But that’s the rhetoric of defense budgets. Talk of “soul”, “patriotism” and other icons are meaningless when we don’t have the money.

I believe, and I’m a veteran, that it is possible to be a simple taxpayer that pays for this all and be a patriot, for instance. The bureaucrats like to monetize the flag and patriotism and turn it into a larger budget authority. They are despicable people who do that.

Anyway, I digress.

How would you defend America with $100Bn? If it’s too hard a problem, then we need better people in the Defense business, because right now if they can’t hack it with $500Bn they should all step aside and let people who actually care about America’s defense do it.

[RFEngineer]

oh, another thing about your chart and your point about Defense spending as a % of GDP - if we took all wasteful government spending, resized our government at all levels, made drastic reductions in spending that would be required to balance our budget (and more to start paying it off) then our GDP would be much much smaller How about 40-50% smaller in the wake of the financial calamity that is before us?

it’s definitely possible. not even a $500Bn defense budget will survive that.

[i_robot73]

Moderate?? Stake, Gut, cut and burn those MF’ers, then salt the Earth so they can NEVER come back.

I’m constantly amazed that people still fight ‘for their $$’ in these UNCONSTITUTIONAL entitlements. Defense, at the least, IS one of the FEW things gov’t SHOULD BE DOING.

Pull ‘em outta every foreign country, shut down and demolish the bases and put them to work securing our OWN borders. R&D to make sure we have the latest/greatest and let the world police their own countries.

Sorry for ‘yelling’, but damn, stop using the Dem verbiage!!

[SkyPilot]

How would we defend the US with a $100Bn annual budget, for instance is a question that the Defense dept should be able to answer. How about $50Bn? I’m not kidding.

Unbelievable.

I didn't realize I was debating someone who had such a tenuous grasp on reality.

Tell you what RFEengineer, let's just go all the way and make it three dollars and fifty cents for the entire Defense budget, and $800 Quadrillion (that's the figure that comes after a Trillion) for Entitlements.

Do you believe in the Bible? If you do, read toward the end (Revelation). War is coming on a global scale. I don't know where the US will be during all of that, but I guarantee you that we will not escape the global oppression and persecution that is heading this world's way. If the US military is operating on shoe strings, all our enemies will have to do is kick in the door.