Pentagon Warns of ‘Crisis’ of Congressional Debate on 2011 Budget
Pentagon Stuck at Record 2010 Levels Instead of Even Bigger 2011 Levels
Though much of the attention toward the Pentagon’s demands for ever larger military budgets has turned to the year 2012 budget, which will be the single largest military budget in the history of mankind, the fighting continues over the 2011 budget.
The 2011 budget, which will be the all time record for a military budget (at least until the 2012 one is passed), is still stalled in Congress, which is faced with a massive deficit and an impatient Pentagon, which has been harping on it for months.
Now the Pentagon is insisting that the situation is officially a “crisis” and that several of their massive new weapons programs will have to be stalled, and training and maintanance will have to be curbed, because the 2011 budget still hasn’t formally passed.
Of course, that is not to say that the Pentagon is not being funded. Indeed, with Congress taking no action on the new budget the military is still being funded at 2010 levels, which is, as of right now, the largest budget for a military ever. It is just that somehow, this record level of funding falls far short of the Pentagon’s demands for new, even bigger records year after year.
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MoT
February 13th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Stop the insanity. Time to shut down the death star.
Robert Shule
February 13th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
So much for record bonuses and salaries for top executives at Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop, and other major defense contractors…….at least until the budget is passed.
Bob D
February 14th, 2011 at 6:23 am
Other than the Pauls don't think any of the Republicans are serious about actually cutting the defense budget anyway, with or without the pentagon's support. Like Bainer, they just give it lip service by saying everything is on the table. But it really isn't.
Hacklheber
February 14th, 2011 at 10:01 am
STAY ON TARGET!
Patrick
February 14th, 2011 at 10:30 am
If they were real patriots, they would be looking for ways to cut.
MoT
February 14th, 2011 at 10:45 am
Roger that… Red Leader. LOL.
thedissenter
February 14th, 2011 at 11:50 am
Funny how crisis means different things to different people depending on where they stand. And here's a bit of good news on the subject. Seems like the expiration date of the Empire is already written on the wall:
Special Forces feeling pressure, U.S. says
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/02/09/Sp…
U.S. Special Operations Forces can't keep up with the demands in Afghanistan despite troop and financial reinforcements, a U.S. Navy admiral said.
U.S. warfare has undergone a sea change at least since a new counterinsurgency strategy was introduced during the Iraq war starting in 2003.
Navy Adm. Eric Olson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, said there were massive increases in the number of troops fighting wars, though demands in Afghanistan were "insatiable," the U.S. Defense Department quoted him as saying.
[...]
hyperbola
February 14th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Until we cut the Pentagon in half and cut the iron triangle (defense industry, military, Congress) corruption out, we will continue down the path to bankruptcy.