The three principal speakers at the annual observance of Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery, May 30, 2011 -- Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, and President Barack Obama join the audience of over 5000 in singing the National Anthem. DOD photo by R. D. Ward How Politics Will Shape The Defense Downturn -- Forbes/AP
As Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen both prepare to depart public service later this year, they have been making a series of public comments on how military spending should be managed in an era of fiscal austerity.
Gates is the joint force’s most senior civilian leader and Mullen is the most senior uniformed leader, so the fact they are saying pretty much the same thing presumably is designed to influence the deliberations of political leaders after they are gone. Conceding that the nation’s future is threatened by huge budget deficits and that defense spending therefore must moderate if not fall, Gates and Mullen argue military cuts should come mainly in overhead and benefit costs rather than capital equipment (weapons) expenditures and the number of combat units.
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My Comment: No surprise in this posting. Washington politics and its priorities has/is always on the mind of our elected leaders (24/7). So yes .... politics will shape the defense downturn and future defense budgets.