Allahpundit has a good bit about the issue of McCain vs Rand Paul on the matter of defense cuts and notes that no less than Allen West, retired Lt. Colonel and now Representative-elect, is also on board with defense cuts. So, too, will be any veteran who honestly remembers his military service. There is plenty of fat to cut in the Department of Defense.
That said, we should lay down a few markers. What can’t be cut is:
1. Military pay.
2. Supplies and other readiness items (spare parts, reserve ammunition, etc; the troops must have everything they need instantly ready for major combat operations).
3. Training budgets (the troops must be regularly exercised for combat).
4. No reduction in the number of aircraft carriers and attendant ships.
5. No reduction in the number of attack submarines.
6. No reduction in the number of first line fighter and bomber strength (we must maintain absolute aerial supremacy, regardless of cost – and this means staying a generation ahead of the competition).
With that, we can look to base closings, withdrawal of US forces from peaceful areas of the globe (Europe, save that which is necessary to support on-going operations; Japan, save ditto), reductions in civilian personnel; putting off new ship construction; and a general scrubbing of the military for any duplication and waste.
We need to get our budget balanced, and we’re not going to get to even step one on that with a liberal President and a Democrat Senate without offering up at least some substantial military spending. And, truth be told, all departments of government must be cut – without affecting readiness, the military must be made to work for less. It can be done – early in the 20th century, “Jackie” Fisher revolutionized the British Navy making it more powerful than ever at less cost than before. Big defense budgets don’t necessarily equal strong military forces.
Care will have to be taken, of course, to ensure that our liberals don’t gut defense – and for each dollar of defense cuts, we should insist upon two dollars of non-defense, discretionary spending cuts. The people, I believe, will be on our side in this – understanding the need for cuts, and willing to go far in such cuts, as long as they see that everyone is under the knife. If the Democrats try to play screw around on this, we’ll be able to hammer them in 2012 over it.
Now, to work.
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