The punctuation on a series of Pentagon officials’ testimony about the “dangers” of possible budget cuts is the admission that they are launching a “far-reaching study” on whether they will still be able to start new wars against Iran and North Korea after the cuts.
All of this began with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel admitting that the US Army is actually quite a bit bigger than it needs to be for “current missions,” and that they could save some $150 billion with cuts that would have a limited effect.
But no government agency is content to just stick to “current missions,” and to justify its ridiculously huge budget, the Pentagon is forever arguing about the needs to prepare for more huge wars that the president might decide to start.
Of course, the US has been threatening to attack Iran and North Korea for literally a whole generation now, and is constantly envisioning new wars the world over. The whole point of the sequestration fight is not to be a buzzkill for the military-industrial complex, but is rather a simple recognition that the US can’t afford constant wars and preparation for yet more wars on top of those wars.
