Posted on 11/18/2013 7:52:38 PM PST by shove_it
SIMI VALLEY, Calif.—The U.S. military's top commanders, groping for ways to cope with a shrinking Pentagon budget, have agreed to a plan that would curb the growth of pay and benefits for housing, education and health—prized features of military life that for years have been spared from cuts.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a weekend interview that without such changes, the cost of military personnel would soon rise to 60% from about half of the defense budget.
"What we have asked these young men and women to do over the last 10 years, we can't pay them enough," Gen. Dempsey said during a conference at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. "Having said that, we also have an institution to manage."
Military officials haven't revealed details of the plan, which still must be approved by the Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and President Barack Obama before it is sent to Congress for approval.
Gen. Dempsey said the chiefs would unveil the changes when the proposed military budget is released in February. He said the new plan wouldn't immediately cut the benefits received by service members or retirees...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
This is about as stupid as the board asking a department VP why his overhead and cost of sales went up when he quadrupled revenue and increased profit by five times.
Of course labor is going to increase as a percentage of total cost if you cut way back on capital programs.
Idiots.
How about kicking out the useless civilian bureaucrats that infest the Pentagon and give the warfighters raises?
I’m a military retiree who has very major health issues caused by my service. Up to this point, I have been very happy by the way my country has taken care of me, what with my pension and Tricare health coverage...
But this just takes the cake.
I have lots of anger at Obama and the democrats, but I really blame all my countrymen and women who vote for these idiots. These dumb f@#$ks learned NOTHING from WWII or 9/11.
I wish to hell I let the Commies and Terrorists get all their nasty, self-centered, stupid-asses, I really do.
I spit on them. They do not deserve an honest man’s protection.
ya...
Knew my list was way too short....and that I could count on FReepers....
i believe dempsey is the type of general who would fire on american patriots if ordered too.
We seem to have the $$ to extend all those benefits to illegals, who we are inviting in by the millions.
Just goes to show you what we now value in this country.
We’re still in a war, as much as that fact is covered up. My brother is headed to Afghanistan after Christmas.
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if there are any voluntary early-outs in effect? It wouldn't surprise me...piss off the good troops, then give 'em a way to get out now. Why wait for their contracts to run out?
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Cut the pay and benefits of the soldiers, and reduce the number of combat units, while buying weapons systems costing much more than comparable weapon systems; thus making the Defense Department into a ATM machine for the crony capitalists; for some examples:
The Formididible-class frigates of Singapore $350 million versus Littoral Combat Ships $700 million.
F-35A $150 million and F-35B and F-25C $200 million versus F-18/E Super Hornet $70 million.
The new Ground Combat Vehicle at twice the cost of the German Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
Why can’t this administration cuts benefits and salary to employees of other governmental departments? Why doe sit have to be the military?
Because they aren't trying to destroy other departments...just the military.
To reduce costs, get rid of the females, quit accepting so many married men, and turn it into a lower paid, but more elite and focused, masculine world of warriors.
Make the young men want to go in, as warriors, to join something rare and special, that marks them for life as part of the warrior class, and quit attracting the single moms and entire families.
But now with Obama they can ‘love’ the ‘person’ of their choice in the military, and make a show of it.
That makes up for it.
OK then, Freepers - whatcha gonna do to support our troops?
gonna just be nattering nabobs here on FR - and then feel better?
Or are you going to scream loud and clear to you reps TOMORROW and the next day and the next - etc.
Fry up those email boxes.
A few minutes of YOUR time in return for years in hell - and betrayal by their CIC - our soldiers have done through?
I think the military is too top heavy. WWII generals had almost 10x as many men under their command. The navy has almost as many admirals as we have ships. Start from the top and pare down. Many Generals should be Cols, Cols should be Lt Cols etc. We shouldn’t touch the enlisted pay or benefits, but I think we need to rethink the way we run the whole process. I also think we need to have some rules on what retired senior military should be able to do when they leave the service. Too many boondoggles are being created due to the old boy network.
i believe dempsey is the type of general who would fire on american patriots if ordered too.
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It seems to me that the Obama admin. has ‘dumped’ more senior officers than I can recall any prior admin. doing, while replacing them with officers who only drink the kool-aid and support LGBTQ, ss marriage, faulty ROEs, etc.
I hope the next admin. (GOP-conservative) reverses this trend, or we’ll no longer have a viable volunteer military and will become a third-world country ripe for picking.
You still did not address the subject of this thread so I will ask.... Do you agree with cutting military pay and benefits?
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