http://news.yahoo.com/obama-help-unveil-realistic-military-plan-205247377.html Obama plans to cut tens of thousands of ground troops WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration will unveil a "more realistic" vision for the military on Thursday, with plans to cut tens of thousands of ground troops and invest more in air and sea power at a time of fiscal restraint, officials familiar with the plans said on Wednesday. The strategic review of U.S. security interests will also emphasize an American presence in Asia, with less attention overall to Europe, Africa and Latin America alongside slower growth in the Pentagon's budget, the officials said. Though specific budget cut and troop reduction figures are not set to be announced on Thursday, officials confirmed to Reuters they would amount to a 10-15 percent decline in Army and Marine Corps numbers over the next decade, translating to tens of thousands of troops. The most profound shift in the strategic review is an acceptance that the United States, even with the world's largest military budget, cannot afford to maintain the ground troops to fight more than one major war at once. That is a move away from the "win-win" strategy that has dominated Pentagon funding decisions for decades. The move to a "win-spoil" plan, allowing U.S. forces to fight one campaign and stop or block another conflict, includes a recognition that the White House would need to ramp up public support for further engagement and draw more heavily on reserve and national guard troops when required. "As Libya showed, you don't necessarily have to have boots on the ground all the time," an official said, explaining the White House view. "We are refining our strategy to something that is more realistic," the official added. President Barack Obama will help launch the U.S. review at the Pentagon on Thursday, and is expected to emphasize that the size of the U.S. military budget has been growing and will continue to grow, but at a slower pace. Obama has moved to curtail U.S. ground commitments overseas, ending the war in Iraq, drawing down troops in Afghanistan and ruling out anything but air power and intelligence support for rebels who overthrew Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. The number of U.S. military personnel formally assigned to bases in Europe - including many now deployed in Afghanistan - is also set to decline sharply, administration sources said, while stressing that the final numbers have not been set. 'BASICALLY DISAPPEAR' "When some army brigades start coming out of Afghanistan, they will basically disappear," one official said. Many of the key U.S. military partners in the NATO alliance are also facing tough defense budget cuts as a result of fiscal strains gripping the European Union. The president may face criticism from defense hawks in Congress, many of them opposition Republicans, who question his commitment to U.S. military strength. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, are set to hold a news conference to flesh out the contents of the review after Obama's remarks, which are also expected to stress the need to rein in spending at a time when U.S. budgets are tight. White House spokesman Jay Carney said that the defense cuts stemming from an August debt ceiling deal - worth about $489 billion over 10 years - need to be enacted carefully. "The president made clear to his team that we need to take a hard look at all of our defense spending to ensure that spending cuts are surgical and that our top priorities are met," Carney told reporters this week. The military could be forced to cut another $600 billion in defense spending over 10 years unless Congress takes action to stop a second round of cuts mandated in the August accord.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/romney-calls-for-more-defense-spending/ Romney Calls for More Defense Spending MT. PLEASANT, S.C. â Standing among retired airplanes on the U.S.S. Yorktown, a decommissioned World War II aircraft carrier, Mitt Romney told a small group of veterans on Thursday that given the global threats to Americaâs interests, the nationâs defense spending should be increased instead of cut. Acknowledging that waste and excess spending exist within the Defense Department, Mr. Romney still called for increasing the Pentagonâs budget.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...romney-im-not-going-to-cut-the-defense-budget Romney: I won't cut defense budget Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) said Monday he wouldn't cut the defense budget if he's elected president. Romney said he would be open to redirecting spending within the Pentagon's budget to ensure that it's more efficiently allocated and to eliminate waste, but he wouldn't cut the overall budget. "I'm not going to cut the defense budget," Romney said in a question-and-answer session on his Facebook page.
Romney thinks we should keep troops in Iraq http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...romney-im-not-going-to-cut-the-defense-budget Romney: I won't cut defense budget Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) said Monday he wouldn't cut the defense budget if he's elected president. Romney said he would be open to redirecting spending within the Pentagon's budget to ensure that it's more efficiently allocated and to eliminate waste, but he wouldn't cut the overall budget. "I'm not going to cut the defense budget," Romney said in a question-and-answer session on his Facebook page.
Romney thinks we should keep troops in Afghanistan http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-14/news/29657598_1_afghanistan-mitt-romney-pullout Mitt Romney, Ron Paul clash on Afghanistan pullout Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul are disagreeing on how quickly to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Romney said at a Republican presidential debate Monday that generals in Afghanistan should guide the pullout schedule based to conditions on the ground. He said the troops should come home as soon as possible under those conditions. Paul said the president must tell generals what to do. He said if he were president he would begin withdrawing troops almost immediately. He said the United States has no purpose fighting a war in Afghanistan.
Not himself or his sons though http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/romney_sons_join_campaign_not_army/ Romney Sons Join Campaign, Not Army Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Wednesday defended his five sonsâ decision not to enlist in the military, saying theyâre showing their support for the country by âhelping me get elected.â Romney, who did not serve in Vietnam due to his Mormon missionary work and a high draft lottery number, was asked the question by an anti-war activist after a speech in which he called for âa surge of supportâ for U.S. forces in Iraq.
Quoting yourself? Yammering to yourself? LOL! It is *possible* that on November 4th 2012 Barrack Obama will be still be president. What is *certain* is that you still be stupid and... more than a little weird.
Says the confused neo con idiot who claims to be a fiscal conservative but would vote for Obama over Paul http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=226019&highlight=paul
We have to be ready for the commies. One can never be too paranoid. Besides the US only accounts for 47% of the worlds military spending, we should go for 50.