back to article US Defense Dept shuffles self

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday outlined a sweeping set of changes to the Department of Defense's budget that he described "will profoundly reform how this department does business". The changes cut many a congressperson's pet project, shuffle billions out of some programs and into others, and thoroughly reorganize …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. jake Silver badge

    ::shrugs::

    Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying: "I cannot believe what I heard today. President Obama is disarming America."

    Nah. Just getting rid of the previous regime's pet projects. Folks who stood to benifit from the graft involved are going to gripe. Situation normal.

    "Now the real war begins."

    Again, nope. Politics as usual.

  2. John Smith Gold badge
    Joke

    Oklahoma

    Like Arkasas. They farm a lot of pork there.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Disarming my ass

    So the cash is just getting spent on killing people via other means.

    Instead of bludgeoning anyone with a turban on, they're now going to stab them instead.

    What difference will any of it make?

    What I'm trying to say is this - given the USAs history of invading countries that are poorly armed, what do the US need any of this shit for? My guess is that it's just so that they can throw their weight around and bully less well armed countries into giving up their natural resources at knock-down prices.

    I had hoped things would change under Obama. It's the same circus just with a different clown. This one appears to be able to add without using his fingers and he gives prettier speeches but nothing seems to have really changed.

  4. Greg

    Disarming America?

    Thousands of fucking planes is DISARMING America?

    Is this man insane?

  5. Martin Lyne

    All seems to make sense

    Bar the F-35 > F-22.

    No more useless ABL fleets to darken our skies (I'm sure Bush wanted them to be modern versions of seeing hte B-52 fleet taking off, aka, ohshitit'snuclearwartimebetterlistentowhatpoliticiansaresaying

  6. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Flame

    Not enough really

    With the upcoming deeper involvement in the newly named "Af-Pak" war -- which might well end in the second nuclear exchange in history -- and the next 8-year installment of the Great Game for the 'tans oil reserves coming up, the US just has to delete as much as possible of their overly expensive tech really only useful to fight an interstellar invasion. They have ignored economics long enough.

  7. Ray
    Go

    Airborne Loser

    "has significant affordability and technology problems and the program's proposed operational role is highly questionable."

    aaaaa-ha! glad to see 'bama has his priorities straight. this project must now be going straight to hammerhead helmet mount. pew pew!!!

  8. Hud Dunlap
    Coat

    What about the stimulus?

    These projects are going to eliminate high paying jobs at a time when billions are being wasted on a "stimulus" package that is supposed to create jobs.

    The disarming of America has been going on for a long time. The U.S. Military is so small that it had to use mercenaries in Iraq (Blackwater). And don't tell me that we shouldn't be spending money on high tech equipment like the F-22. High tech equipment like the F-15 and F-16 is why the Iragi Air Force ceased to exist in the first gulf war making it possible for the low casualties on the ground.

    I admit more money should be spent on better weapons for the troops on the ground and it should have been part of the stimulus package. But that money would have gone to states that voted against Obama.

    This reminds of the time Nixon got elected and the only state that went for his opponent was Massachusetts. After the election the only ship stationed in the First Navel District was the U.S.S. Constitution.

    Mines the one with the Tea Bag on it.

  9. Robert Grant

    @jake

    You're basically saying what the article has already said, if you read it. Still, props for trying to sound seasoned and familiar with this stuff :)

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    @Hud Dunlap and @AC 07:43 GMT

    Hud Dunlap: "First Navel District?" LMAO. Oranges or Belly Buttons?

    AC: "... what do the US need any of this shit for?" To sell to you, the Saudis, and anyone else with more money than brains.

    I hope I don't need to explain the black helicopters.

  11. Matt Bryant Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    More interesting were the bits left untouched.

    The US Army seems to have come out quite well. Whilst their replacement vehicle fleet is on hold, fancy and expensive projects like the XM1111 rocket-assisted guided tank rounds are still sailing on, despite the unlikelyhood of the US being engaged in a classic tank-vs-tank war in the immediate future. In the event of a war with Iran or the Norks, any of their antiquated armour that made it to the battlefield would easily be dealt with by the existing, proven and cheaper M829Ax APFSDS round, so why the XM1111 can't be put on hold is an interesting question.

    There is also no mention of cuts to the various radar-guided anti-mortar gun/laser projects, which are badly needed for Afghanistan and Iraq. In such theatres the threat from mortars fired at bases by insurgents/millitants/freedom-fighters/terrorists (delete as your political bias prefers) are much more of a threat than enemy tanks. So a thumbs up there.

    Also no mention of cuts into efforts to decide on the replacement for the current M16A2 rifles (which I guess is most likely to be a 6.8mm SPC M16/M4), or even the loony "guided-grenade-launcher"/the-designers-played-far-too-much-Quake-Arena projects.

    Who said the US Army was the arm of the US forces that least voted for Obambi?

  12. jake Silver badge

    @Robert Grant

    Instead of "::shrugs:: as a subject, I should have put "To Summarize".

    Whatever. I voted for Obama, but I didn't really expect much to change in my day-to-day life as a result of making that choice. So far, status quo. As expected. What will happen in the next couple years? Again, probably nothing useful to me & mine.

  13. Paul George
    Boffin

    speaking as a 'murrican..

    >He didn't mention, of course, those pork-hungry congressfolks

    The correct term is 'congresscritters'

    "Suppose I was a congressman. And suppose I was an idiot. But I repeat myself"

    - Samuel Clemens

  14. elderlybloke
    Thumb Up

    The New Commander in Chief

    has more intellect , less bluster and more common sense than AWOL Bush.

    He can't obliterate the military - industrial complex that has prospered in USA for decades, immediately .

    Give him a year or two and he might achieve something.

  15. BioTube

    @Mr Smith

    It's spelled "Arkansas".

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like