rssPreempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 10:19 am
- 61 Comments
Preempting Washington politicians looking for easy ways to close the deficit and reduce the debt, the Pentagon is trimming its own budget. Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced he will close a base, reduce the number of generals and take other measures to slim the military. The New York Times reports:
Mr. Gates did not place a dollar figure on the total savings from the cutbacks, some of which are likely to be challenged by members of Congress intent on retaining jobs in their states and districts. But they appear to be Mr. Gates’s most concrete proposals to cut current spending as he tries to fend off calls from many Democrats for even deeper budget reductions, and they reflect his strategy of first trying to squeeze money out of the vast Pentagon bureaucracy.
While large headquarters have been combined and realigned over the years, Pentagon officials could not recall a time when a major command was shut down and vanished off the books, even though some jobs will probably be added elsewhere to carry on essential parts of the mission.
The Wall Street Journal estimates the cuts could save $100 billion over five years. I have no way of evaluating the impact of the actual cuts. But the strategy seems brilliant to me — and I would not be surprised to see other departments and agencies doing the same and cutting themselves before Washington does the cutting for them.
Fred Kaplan, at Slate, throws on some cold water, though, noting that Defense has a whole lot to cut and should anticipate further budgetary scrutiny going forward:
The steps Gates took today have far-reaching implications; I don’t mean to minimize them. But there are other issues and questions that tap more deeply into the foundations of what he himself calls our “cumbersome and top-heavy” military, which has “grown accustomed to operating with little consideration to cost.” For instance: How many submarines and aircraft carriers does the Navy really need? And do all those carriers need the same number of aircraft and escort ships? How many fighter planes does the Air Force really need? How many brigades does the Army really need?
Gates’ new reforms are based on two premises: First, that the nation can’t afford unceasing growth in the defense budget; second, that the nation can afford moderate growth in the defense budget, as long as the Pentagon shows good faith by slashing what any objective observer would label “waste.” The first premise is unassailable, the second probably too optimistic. The fact is, we can’t afford growth in the defense budget, period. To get the cuts he’s after, Gates — as a matter of political realism — has to leave the rest of the budget alone. But at some point, some secretary of defense is going to have to open it all up to scrutiny.
Follow Annie Lowrey on Twitter
61 Comments
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 10:35 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by r3publican and r3publican, WashIndependent. WashIndependent said: Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget – http://bit.ly/bIWopn [...]
Trackback posted August 10, 2010 @ 10:56 am
Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington ……
I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)…
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 11:04 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon BudgetThe Washington IndependentPreempting Washington politicians looking for easy ways to close the deficit and reduce the debt, the Pentagon is trimming its own budget. Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced he will close a base, …Virginia stands to feel the most pain from defense cutsWashington PostDefense Secretary Gates targets jobsUSA TodayGates Releases Efficiencies InitiativesExecutiveGovCompensation.BLR.com -MarketWatch -Aviation Weekall 849 news articles » [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 11:10 am
[...] this link: Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget – The Washington Independent AKPC_IDS += "5056,";Popularity: unranked [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 11:10 am
[...] interia@firma.interia.pl (INTERIA.PL) posted by in Bez kategorii and have No Comments [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 11:42 am
[...] View full post on The Washington Independent [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 11:49 am
[...] Read more here « Fox News Host Announces Plans for Muslim Gay Bar Next to Ground Zero Mosque – Vanity Fair Calif. lawmakers pull $11B water bond from ballot – BusinessWeek » [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 11:50 am
[...] this article: Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget – The Washington Independent // budget-cuts, deficit-and, from-defense, gates-cuts, looking-for, news-articles, [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 11:56 am
[...] announced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, jeopardizes about 5000 military jobs … Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget The Washington [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 12:17 pm
[...] decision, announced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, jeopardizes about 5000 military jobs …Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon BudgetThe Washington IndependentGates announces Pentagon cutsThe Keene SentinelVirginia stands to feel the [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 12:50 pm
[...] Marc Ambinder, The AtlanticPolitical Wisdom: Cutting the Defense Budget — Wall Street JournalPreempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget — Washington IndependentPentagon Cuts – Joe Klein, Time MagazineBob Gates Against the [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 12:54 pm
[...] here to see the original: Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget – The Washington Independent Posted in News Tags: business, defense, gates, gates-cuts, news, pentagon, secretary, [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 1:46 pm
[...] Rep. Rob Bishop says Robert Gates must prove cuts won't harm military Deseret News The Washington Independent -Washington Post -USA Today all 920 news [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 2:01 pm
[...] Rep. Rob Bishop says Robert Gates must prove cuts won't harm military Deseret News The Washington Independent -Stars and Stripes -USA Today all 962 news [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 3:29 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 3:37 pm
[...] Marc Ambinder, The AtlanticPolitical Wisdom: Cutting the Defense Budget — Wall Street JournalPreempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget — Washington IndependentPentagon Cuts – Joe Klein, Time MagazineBob Gates Against the [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 3:44 pm
[...] include rolling back support contractors, shutting down Joint CommandMarketWatchDeseret News -The Washington Independent -USA Todayall 951 news [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 3:49 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 3:57 pm
[...] here: Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget – The Washington Independent Share and [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 4:20 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 4:47 pm
[...] CostsNewsweekPlans include rolling back support contractors, shutting down Joint CommandMarketWatchThe Washington Independent -Deseret News -USA Todayall 959 news [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 4:55 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington Independent [...]
Comment posted August 10, 2010 @ 5:40 pm
Gate's plan is a good start, but not nearly enough – http://disenchantedjourno.blogspot.com/2010/08/…
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 6:48 pm
[...] Read more here « GOP candidate Paul denies kidnapping suggestions – The Associated Press Update: Judge Won’t Say Teaching is Community Service, Slams Lerach for Lack of Remorse… » [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 7:00 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 7:02 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Comment posted August 10, 2010 @ 7:51 pm
We need to do more: http://www.deciminyan.org/2010/08/gates-of-wrat…
Pingback posted August 10, 2010 @ 9:55 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 11, 2010 @ 2:03 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 11, 2010 @ 2:05 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 11, 2010 @ 3:26 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Comment posted August 11, 2010 @ 5:22 am
Wasn't 9/11 preceded by similar comments by Gates re: cutting waste and fraud? Doesn't that suggest that we need to be looking over our shoulders to see what the military/intelligence community is sending our way, allowing to proceed or ignoring?
Pingback posted August 11, 2010 @ 6:37 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 11, 2010 @ 7:25 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington Independent [...]
Pingback posted August 11, 2010 @ 7:26 am
[...] on HuffingtonPost.com Ken Buck wins Colorado GOP primary for Senate - Fire Andrea Mitchell! Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget The Washington Independent Rangel defends Rangel Daily Kos Representative Rangel Reaction to Ethics [...]
Pingback posted August 11, 2010 @ 11:40 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 12, 2010 @ 1:04 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 12, 2010 @ 1:31 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington Independent [...]
Pingback posted August 12, 2010 @ 3:18 am
[...] expensive?Recommended ReadingsApple iPod Event Slated For Mid-September? « Boy Genius ReportPreempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington IndependentThe July Federal Budget Numbers–The Trouble Continues – 24/7 Wall St. Tagged with: [...]
Pingback posted August 12, 2010 @ 4:18 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington Independent [...]
Pingback posted August 12, 2010 @ 11:44 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 12, 2010 @ 4:18 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 12, 2010 @ 4:55 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 12, 2010 @ 5:18 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 12, 2010 @ 9:04 pm
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon Budget « The Washington … [...]
Pingback posted August 13, 2010 @ 11:35 am
[...] this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a series of Pentagon spending cuts, designed to trim the military’s budget by $100 billion [...]
Pingback posted August 14, 2010 @ 10:36 am
[...] this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a series of Pentagon spending cuts, designed to trim the military’s budget by $100 billion over [...]
Pingback posted August 22, 2010 @ 8:30 pm
[...] you have the Washington Independent’s Annie Lowrey, who wrote two articles last week claiming not only that the reforms announced last week would cut Pentagon [...]
Pingback posted September 12, 2010 @ 5:00 am
[...] Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon BudgetThe Washington IndependentPreempting Washington politicians looking for easy ways to close the deficit and reduce the debt, the Pentagon is trimming its own budget. Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced he will close a base, …Pentagon plans to cut jobs, budgetSanta Rosa Press DemocratVirginia stands to feel the most pain from defense cutsWashington PostDefense Secretary Gates targets jobsUSA TodayExecutiveGov -Compensation.BLR.com -MarketWatchall 847 news articles » [...]
Pingback posted September 12, 2010 @ 10:03 am
[...] decision, announced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, jeopardizes about 5000 military jobs …Preempting Washington, Gates Cuts Pentagon BudgetThe Washington IndependentDepartment of Defense to cut spendingWashington Business JournalVirginia [...]
Trackback posted March 24, 2011 @ 5:18 pm
Better website?…
Hey this is a actual cool web site…
Trackback posted April 12, 2011 @ 3:33 pm
You have chek this website out….
Hey I discovered this website to be really fascinating! Bookmarked!…
Trackback posted April 14, 2011 @ 2:10 am
Hey {this is a|this can be a|it is a} {real|actual} cool {website|web site}…
Hey I found this website to be actually attention-grabbing! Bookmarked!…
Trackback posted August 22, 2011 @ 6:38 am
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]…
Trackback posted August 22, 2011 @ 9:33 pm
outdoor wall waterfall…
[...]we like to honor other sites on the web, even if they aren’t related to us, by linking to them. Below are some sites worth checking out[...]…
Trackback posted August 23, 2011 @ 2:28 pm
Rugs UK…
[...]check out the sites listed below, worth a read for interiors and rugs enthusiasts[...]…
Trackback posted August 25, 2011 @ 1:04 am
gesture fruit peeler…
[...]while the sites we link to below are completely unrelated to ours, we think they are worth a read, so have a look[...]…
Trackback posted August 29, 2011 @ 9:55 am
Cheap Kasper Suits…
[...]listed below are a handful of urls to places which we connect to seeing that we think these are definitely worth visiting[...]…
Trackback posted August 31, 2011 @ 8:54 am
Amy Winehouse…
[...]following are a handful of urls to internet sites which we link to since we think they are worthwhile checking out[...]…
Trackback posted September 5, 2011 @ 2:47 pm
best mmo games…
[...]It’s a happy day to be able to read an article that is so clearly researched and written. I have very much enjoyed this informational content. Your layout is excellent. I will come back again. Although unrelated to my blog, worth linking to[...]…
Trackback posted September 6, 2011 @ 2:48 am
Improve your sweat reduction…
[...]I really did enjoy reading these blogs and I am sure you will to[...]…
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
