Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and its implications for national security programs in Washington, D.C., June 17, 2010. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley Joint Chiefs Chairman Reiterates Security Threat Of High Debt -- The Hill
Pentagon leaders, the military services and defense contractors must work together to cut bureaucratic bloat and unnecessary programs, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday.
Adm. Mike Mullen also renewed his warning that the nation’s debt is the biggest threat to U.S. national security.
“I was shown the figures the other day by the comptroller of the Pentagon that said that the interest on our debt is $571 billion in 2012,” Mullen said at a breakfast hosted by The Hill. “That is noticeably about the size of the defense budget. It is not sustainable.”
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Update: Adm. Mike Mullen: 'National Debt Is Our Biggest Security Threat' -- Huffington Post
My Comment: The key phrase that stuck out for me is the following ....
.... “I was shown the figures the other day by the comptroller of the Pentagon that said that the interest on our debt is $571 billion in 2012,” Mullen said at a breakfast hosted by The Hill. “That is noticeably about the size of the defense budget ....
$571 billion in interest and climbing. That says it all.