I am not a fan of politicians, but less so when they tell us how grateful we should be that they're about to put the big green weanie up our rears, without an ounce of lube. What does this statement mean?
"We’re also going to keep faith with those who serve" President Obama, 6 JAN 2012, as he announced new massive cuts to the military.
I've been hearing that line for months now, even as the Administration has ordered 49,000 US Soldiers into the unemployment lines, after tossing 10,000-100,000 Northrop-Grumman employees on the street who were building the F-22, and 20,000 National Guard Soldiers out of the service. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was the first I heard utter the phrase, even as he attempted to blame Congress for the cuts he had already requested, and ahead of the most recent cuts he announced. This came after cuts of $550 Billion by the same Administration. So when I hear this Administration tell me that they will "keep the faith" with Troops and Veterans, I know there's something bad coming down the pike.
The latest round brings us to $1.1+ Trillion in cuts to the Military, at the same time the Administration increased the Federal Debt to $15.3 Trillion. Yes, every part of government except the DoD and Veterans Administration budgets have ballooned. DoD budgets have not only been cut but misused.
The Administration has complained that DoD Health Insurance costs have spiraled out of control since it pushed through the mandatory Health Insurance Law. It has said these costs must be cut, by charging Troops, Veterans, & Retirees for coverage of the illnesses and injuries, related to their service. But why did the costs jump so much from 2009 to 2011? Because the Administration pushed through a law requiring the DoD (and other insurers) to cover adult children until they are 26, as opposed to 18 (21 if in college). The current cost is now $49 Billion and growing, or 9% (from 6% or $19 Billion in 2001) of the DoD budget, in part by TriCare's willingness to jump on the extra charges the Government demanded of them to charge, in part because the Administration is forcing experienced Troops to retire, and in part because the politicians decided to charge (accounting wise) the DoD instead of Medicare budget for Health Insurance. In other words, the "spiraling health costs" of the Military are the results of this Administration.
What does the Administration propose to do about it? Charge the Troops, Combat Veterans, & Retirees for their military related injuries and illnesses. Initially this plan was opposed by all except Presidential Appointees, like General Shinseki, retired, now in charge of Veteran Affairs. It was opposed by even Jon Stewart, initially, in 2009. There was utter silence when he brought the plan back in 2010, raised it in 2011, and proposed new raises in 2012. We "all have to make sacrifices" was his mantra as Obama proposed paying for growth of other parts of government, like the IRS, to be paid for by Injured and Retired Veterans.
The Obama Administration tells us that he plans to increase commitments in the Pacific, while at the same time cutting the number of Troops & Equipment available for these new commitments. It says we're going to rely on alliances for our security, and specifically mentions NATO, which has also cut its defenses significantly in the last decades, to the point that during the Libyan War, the US had to give them munitions to fight the "non-war" that Obama never consulted Congress for, though it was our munitions being launched from our ships and airplanes destroying Libyan buildings and TV stations, because they were "supporting the regime" in a dangerous manner.
The Administration tells us that he is going to move the budget from Warriors in the Army and Marines, to the technology of the Air Force and Navy. But he has already cut their cutting edge technology, the F-22's and F-35 program, as well as delaying the next aircraft carrier, and deleting the Landing Craft program. So, what is the Air Force to concentrate on? Cyber War, an area that could be done better in the civilian sector, than could the General officer positions he is turning into Civilan positions of greater cost.
And there is the omission from discussion: Counter-Insurgency. It includes the Clinton policy of Nation Building. This is the the strategy of building schools, safeguarding markets from attack, and mentoring local government officials in how to do their jobs without corruption. It strips all of that for the single component of it known as Counter-Terrorism. This kind of policy, by itself, though espoused by VP Biden, can cause animosity towards America. One doesn't need to theorize about it. Counter-Insurgency has been used in Afghanistan and Iraq, successfully, while Counter-Terrorism was used in the last few years in Pakistan. Though perceptions have been negatively affected from Karzai towards the politicians (Obama, et. al.) that have disrespected him, Pakistan has moved from a reluctant but willing ally to potential enemy in only 3 years.
The Obama Administration tells us we just don't have the money to help democratic allies learn good governance, though it is loathe to stop paying money to Pakistan. Its policy of dropping bombs from unmanned aircraft having alienated the Paki people, and government, so that is the Obama way forward.
The Administration says it will focus instead on Special Operations Forces (SOF), as the Clinton Administration also promised, while cutting those dumb groundpounders that SOF recruits from. That didn't work so well for Clinton, who cut TWO Special Forces Groups, the 11th and the 12th from the Reserves, and saw the Active and National Guard Groups shrink from fatigue. It had to cut 1/6th of the remaining Teams to keep the others at minimum strength. But even Clinton had more Conventional Troops to recruit from, than would the Obama Plan.
And at the end of the Clinton Administration, pre-9/11, the SOF Troops were already overworked, before committing a Group to Afghanistan and Two Groups to Iraq (of 7 Special Forces Groups). Bush attempted to add 9 Battalions (25%) to that, but even with recruiting kids straight out of High School, the new teams still haven't been filled. SOF is larger now than it was in 2000, but it was smaller in 2000 than in 1993.
"as our newest veterans rejoin civilian life [unemployment lines], we’ll keep working to give our veterans the care [if they pay], the benefits and job opportunities that they deserve and that they have earned." Obama 6 Jan 2012, Pentagon
This is how Obama will "maintain true faith" with those that have sacrificed years of their lives. He'll throw them into the unemployment lines, where it will be twice as hard for them to get a job as civilians that chose not to defend Freedom, and spend the money for defense to tell them they're mentally unstable, "hoping" someone will employ them. Meanwhile, the money that was once spent to pay Troops, to buy equipment that deters and wins wars, to treat their war injuries, will instead be spent to buy solar panels from China to put on houses on Parris Island and elsewhere.
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