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NEWS ABOUT: military spending

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Obama Unveils 'Leaner,' 'Agile' Military

He wants to shift focus from ground troops to 'irregular warfare'

(Newser) - President Obama officially unveiled his plan for a slimmed-down military with a speech at the Pentagon today, promising that budget cuts and a reduction in conventional ground forces wouldn't harm the nation's security. "Our military will be leaner, but the world must know—the United States is... More »

Pentagon Readies Blueprint of Slim New Self

And with it, the Obama administration's defense priorities

(Newser) - The White House is poised to unveil its proposal to slim down the military to bring it in line with cuts agreed to in the recent debt ceiling deal, and in so doing give America a sense of Leon Panetta’s vision for the military’s future, the New York ... More »

Pentagon: We're Not Planning for Spending Cuts

Says it'll instead pressure Congress to change course

(Newser) - The Pentagon has no plans in place to deal with the $500 billion in spending cuts theoretically heading its way thanks to the supercommittee’s failure —and it refuses to make any now. “We are not planning for the” cuts, a Pentagon spokesman tells the New York Times... More »

Lawmakers Vow to Stop Defense Cuts if Panel Fails

Pessimism mounts that supercommittee will reach a deal

(Newser) - Your latest sign that the debt supercommittee isn't going to reach a deal: Lawmakers in both parties already are scrambling to ward off the $500 billion in across-the-board defense cuts that are supposed to be triggered by such a failure, reports the New York Times . Legislation is being drafted... More »

Costly News: US Military's Equipment Is 'Geriatric'

Average F-15 is 25 years old

(Newser) - Precious few Americans drive cars manufactured in 1964—the same isn't true of the US Air Force. The average age of an Air Force plane ranges from 25 years for an F-15 to 47 years for refueling aircraft, the Wall Street Journal reports in a look at a pricey... More »

Panetta: Debt Deal Trigger Puts America in Danger

$1T in Pentagon cuts 'completely unacceptable'

(Newser) - The Pentagon can't tighten its belt any further without putting America in danger, Leon Panetta warns. The defense secretary says major cuts beyond the $350 billion outlined in the debt ceiling deal are "completely unacceptable" and could do "real damage " to national security, the New York ... More »

World's 10 Largest Military Powers

US leads the way, by a lot, with China No. 2

(Newser) - In 2010, the countries of the world spent a combined $1.63 trillion on their militaries, according to 24/7 Wall Street . That includes money for weapons, soldiers, and maintaining infrastructure. The US led the way by far with just below $700 billion, more than the other top nine countries combined.... More »

World Military Spending Zooms to $1.6T Record

United States' $698B six times higher than No. 2 China

(Newser) - Global military spending hit a new high last year, inching up 1.3% to reach a staggering $1.6 trillion, according to a Swedish think tank. The increase itself, however, is one of the lower hikes in years, a slowdown caused by the economic crisis in many Western nations. US... More »

US Price Tag for Week 1 of Libya Mission: $600M

But money has all come from Pentagon's existing budget

(Newser) - Week one of the United States' intervention in Libya has cost us at least $600 million, according to new data from the Pentagon. That figure includes $268.8 million worth of Tomahawk cruise missiles, tens of thousands of dollars worth of precision guided bombs, and more than $60 million to... More »

Pentagon's Anti-IED Agency a $17B Failure

Agency's many, many employees haven't delivered the goods

(Newser) - After roadside bombs emerged as insurgents’ weapon of choice in Iraq, the Pentagon in 2006 created an agency to deal with the threat. In the years since, that agency has grown to a whopping 1,900 employees, has spent $17 billion—and has precious little to show for it, according... More »

US Will Beef Up Military to Counter China

China's military buildup requires a US response, says defense secretary

(Newser) - With China quickly growing as a regional power, the US military is stepping up investment in a range of military technologies, including a long-range nuclear-capable bomber aircraft, a new generation of electronic jammers, and a radar-evading fighter jet, reports the New York Times . China has concerned many with its own... More »

Pentagon Plans a Rarity: No More Budget Increases

Gates says they won't be necessary by 2015

(AP) - For the first time in more than a decade defined by costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon announced plans today to freeze its budget, forcing the military to shrink the Army and Marines and increase health care premiums for troops and their families. The Pentagon says it can... More »

Want to Rein in Deficit? Cut Military Funding

With budget problems soaring, it is time to reduce military spending

(Newser) - US military spending has been sacrosanct by both political parties, but with budget pressures mounting, "it's time to bust that taboo," writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times . Kristof notes that the US military budget is nearly as large as the rest of the world combined, and... More »

We Must Be Ready for War With China

Beijing is building its military, and so should we

(Newser) - China has been busily ramping up its military, working on strategies specifically designed to keep America at bay in Asia if necessary, according to a recent Pentagon report. Yet here in the US, the defense establishment is discussing cutting its budget, and shifting more and more resources to counter-terrorism and... More »

Top Brass in Huff Over Pentagon Cutbacks

Move to end 'brass creep' ruffles feathers

(Newser) - Four-star military commanders have joined the ranks of Americans worried about keeping their jobs. Defense Secretary Robert Gates made it clear when he announced Pentagon cutbacks this week that he plans to reduce "brass creep" in the military, and the decision has ruffled many feathers in the top ranks,... More »

Pentagon Slashing Thousands of Jobs

Gates to ax Joint Forces Command

(Newser) - "No sacred cows" are safe from the budget ax as the Pentagon seeks to trim spending, Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned yesterday as he announced massive cuts. Reductions include the closure of Joint Forces Command, which employs some 5,000 people, and a 10% reduction in the budget for... More »

Marines Fear They'll Never Storm a Beach Again

Much-revered maneuver hasn't been used since Korean War

(Newser) - Storming enemy beaches is almost the Marines’ raison d’être. The stories of the glorious amphibious assaults of the past “are encoded in our DNA,” one officer tells the LA Times . But there hasn’t been a beach assault since the Korean War, and many—including Robert... More »

Afghan War May Sock Us With Surtax

House Dems propose 1% war tax

(Newser) - Any change in Afghan strategy that involves spending more money needs to come with a strategy to pay for it, warn House Democrats. Influential committee chairs are calling for a 1% surtax on incomes under $150,000 beginning in 2011 to pay for the war. Their proposed bill would impose... More »

Cities Brace for Fallout From New Defense Budget

(Newser) - With President Obama and Robert Gates hoping to reconfigure defense spending, cities and towns around the country are bracing for the economic fallout, ABC News reports. Some of the places most likely to be pinched if Gates’ budget stands:
  • Marietta, Ga.: Where Boeing and Lockheed Martin assemble F-22s. About 2,
... More »

Gates' Pentagon Budget Overhaul Hits Heavy Resistance

Congressmen fly to defend pet weapons

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates talked tough yesterday in proposing to cut six major weapons systems from the Pentagon budget, and members of Congress wasted no time in talking tough right back, suggesting that the battle to refocus spending could meet major resistance. “This budget represents an opportunity, one of... More »

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