Thread: Hagel proposes big cuts in Army in 2015 budget

Hagel proposes big cuts in Army in 2015 budget

By ROBERT BURNS9 minutes ago

Hagel expected to cut billions in military spending

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Monday proposed shrinking the Army to its smallest size in 74 years, closing military bases and making other military-wide savings as part of a broad reshaping after more than a decade of war.

Hagel outlined his vision in a speech at the Pentagon, a week before President Barack Obama is to submit his 2015 budget plan to Congress.
Hagel said that U.S. forces must adjust to the reality of smaller budgets, even as he asserted that the United States faces a more volatile, more unpredictable world that requires a more nimble military.
"We are repositioning to focus on the strategic challenges and opportunities that will define our future: new technologies, new centers of power and a world that is growing more volatile, more unpredictable and in some instances more threatening to the United States," he said.
Under the Hagel plan, which Congress could change, the active-duty Army would shrink from its current 522,000 soldiers to between 440,000 and 450,000. That would make it the smallest since just before the U.S. entered World War II.
Hagel said Obama's budget proposal will include a government-wide "Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative" that would provide the Pentagon with $26 billion on top of the $496 billion it is due to receive in 2015 under terms of the budget deal passed by the Congress two months ago.
Defense secretary calls for military budget cutsPlay video


Among the bolder moves in Hagel's proposal is the elimination of the Air Force's fleet of A-10 aircraft as well as its venerable U-2 spy planes, as well as reductions in the size of the Army National Guard. Those moves are expected to draw some opposition in Congress.
Hagel said the administration will propose a new round of domestic military base closings in 2017, while noting that Congress has rejected such requests in recent years.
Army leaders have been saying for months that they expect their service to shrink as the nation prepares to end its combat role in Afghanistan this year.
Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, said recently that whatever the future size of the Army, it must adapt to conditions that are different from what many soldiers have become accustomed to during more than a decade of war. He said many have the misperception that the Army is no longer busy.
"People tend to think that the Army is out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and there is not much going on," he said Jan. 23 at an Army forum. "The Army is not standing still. The Army is doing many, many, many things in order for us to shape the future environment and prevent conflict around the world."
The last time the active-duty Army was below 500,000 was in 2005, when it stood at 492,000. Its post-World War II low was 480,000 in 2001, according to historical tables provided by the Army on Monday. In 1940 the Army had 267,000 active-duty members, and it surged to 1.46 million the following year as the U.S. approached entry into World War II.
Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said Monday that Hagel consulted closely with the military service chiefs on how to balance defense and budget-saving requirements.
"He has worked hard with the services to ensure that we continue to stand for the defense of our national interests — that whatever budget priorities we establish, we do so in keeping with our defense strategy and with a strong commitment to the men and women in uniform and to their families, Kirby said.
"But he has also said that we have to face the realities of our time. We must be pragmatic. We can't escape tough choices. He and the chiefs are willing to make those choices," Kirby said.

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https://news.yahoo.com/hagel-propose...-politics.html

Laura Ingraham

VIDEO: See what large cuts Chuck Hagel is proposing to the military.

Do you think these cuts are in the United Sates' best interests?

Video at the Page Link: http://video.lauraingraham.com/Chuck...3#.UwuvbPldWDt

Gov. Haley: National Guard Cuts a 'Slap in the Face'

BY MICHAEL O'BRIEN

An otherwise-civil conversation between President Obama and the nation's governors turned chilly when the topic of proposed military cuts came up, according to one Republican in the room.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said the tone of the governors' meeting with Obama "completely changed" when the proposed cuts came up.

"It automatically went into an aggressive nature by him, implying that, 'Many of you have asked for cuts, this is what you said you wanted. Don't start coming and now complaining that these cuts are now affecting you because you said you wanted it, now you're going to get it and have to live with it,'" Haley said of the exchange, apparently toward the end of the meeting.

“It really is a slap in the face to anyone who has served multiple times over the past decade and left their life to do this,” added Haley, whose husband is a reservist who recently returned from a stint abroad.

Monday’s meeting came on the immediate heels of a series of personnel cuts proposed by the Defense Department. Army personnel would shrink to pre-World War II levels as part of the Pentagon's blueprint to restructure the military after protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry expressed additional misgivings about what effect the cuts would have on states' national guards.

"The idea that the guard is going to take this reduction because the rest of the active duty military is taking this -- it really falls hard upon governors," he said at the Republican Governors Association (RGA) after the White House meeting. "I hope that we're not about to make a tragic mistake by hollowing out the guards in our states."

Perry 'Troubled' by Obama’s 'Tone' on Military, Economy

NBC NEWS

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, R, suggested that any cuts to military personnel should apply proportionally to the regular Army, since its ranks swelled the most during the military engagements of the last decade.

First published February 24th 2014, 3:08 pm

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whit...ap-face-n37536

Cheney: Obama would ‘much rather spend the money on food stamps’ than military

Posted on Tuesday, February 25th, 2014 at 12:33 am.
by: Thomas Jefferson



by Jamie Weinstein

Former Vice President Dick Cheney responded Monday night to the Obama administration’s proposal to cut the U.S. Army to its lowest point since before World War II.
Calling into Fox News’ “Hannity,” Cheney declared the proposed cuts to be “absolutely dangerous” and “just devastating.”
“I have not been a strong supporter of Barack Obama. But this really is over the top. It does enormous long-term damage to our military,” Cheney said. ”They act as though it is like highway spending and you can turn it on and off. The fact of the matter is he is having a huge impact on the ability of future presidents to deal with future crises that are bound to arise.”
Cheney also said America’s allies are losing confidence in the United States and that the president’s budget reflects his priorities.
“The other thing I now for a fact too, Sean, from keeping in touch with some of my old friends that I used to deal with in the Middle East — they no longer have any confidence at all in American security guarantees,” he said. “They’re absolutely convinced that they can no longer trust the United States to keep its commitments — that includes the Israelis, Saudis, a lot of others in that part of the world.”
“They peddle this line that now we’re going to pivot to Asia, but they’ve never justified it,” he added. “And I think the whole thing is not driven by any change in world circumstances, it is driven by budget considerations. He would much rather spend the money on food stamps than he would on a strong military or support for our troops.”

http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/24/cheney-obama-much-rather-spend-the-money-on-food-stamps-than-the-military/#ixzz2uJDDbJco

http://www.conservativeinfidel.com/o...amps-military/