It is not making headlines, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates is moving rapidly to implement major cuts in overall Defense Department spending.
In doing so, he is challenging major assumptions inherent in American force structure that have long been the basis for the size and strength of current military forces.
During the latter stages of the Cold War and under the Reagan defense buildup the goal was 15 carrier battle groups, 100 attack nuclear submarines, 44 ballistic missile submarines, 10 Army divisions and an Air Force of some 5,000 aircraft including emerging stealth technology. Underlying that force structure was the assumption that America must be able to engage successfully in two different regional conflicts simultaneously at any place on the globe.
The “two war” concept was sustained by Bush I, Clinton and Bush II. Gates and the Obama administration are now discounting that assumption and moving to reduce overall force structure accordingly. For example, in the Navy alone the current defense budget is for 10 carrier battle groups, 57 nuclear attack submarines and 12 ballistic missile-carrying submarines, about a 50 percent reduction from Cold War ships. And more cuts are being planned.
Gates is also challenging the size and mission of the Marine Corps and is moving quickly to restrict development of new state-of-the-art military aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor fighter/bomber. He has yet to articulate new assumptions to replace the “two war” strategy of times past.
Supporters of the Gates initiatives argue that the U.S. Navy is currently larger in overall tonnage than the combined might of the next 13 navies of the world and even after planned defense cuts will still remain supreme over all the oceans of the world. Detractors argue that the world is still a dangerous one and American military supremacy of unquestionable size and strength must be maintained. There is also the congressional concern over jobs lost in the defense industries supporting such military might.
We agree with the direction Secretary Gates is moving. However we also call for the Obama administration to articulate exactly what capability it foresees for our military, say five to 10 years from now. To us, it seems that defense of the homeland is going to be a real limit with little or no capability to engage overseas or even protect our allies such as Taiwan or even Japan. The president needs to tell the American people just that as defense cuts move forward.
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