Last week, as he issued his political budget, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan tried to pull the “Generals are not telling us the honest truth” rabbit out of the hat. The Wisconsin Republican was suggesting that either the military leadership was lying — in saying they could live with $487 billion less over the next 10 …
Congress
Storm Clouds Gathering Over There…and Back Home
The disasters over the last three months — including American troops urinating on Afghan corpses, burning Qurans, and the massacre of Afghan civilians, including women and children, by at least one American soldier — have …
Apparently, the F-35 Isn’t Everyone’s Cup of Airpower
…including Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., who terms the tri-service, $400 billion fighter program “the biggest example of corporate welfare in history” (although, as a member of the House’s education and natural-resources committees, he’s not going to be able to do much about it…but he does have a doctorate in physics from NYU, …
“I really misspoke, to be candid with you…I didn't mean to make that kind of an impression…I did not mean to impugn the military...I misspoke on that front.”
Countdown to Sequestration: Nine Months to Go
“We don't think the generals are giving us their true advice. We don't think the generals believe their budget is really the right budget.”
“We must allocate resources for contingencies like Iran. We’ll be looking to place emphasis on vital weapons, should the Iranians determine that a peaceful, nuclear-free existence is not in their best interest.”
Military Commanders Fighting for Resources as Mission Demands Grow
Military commanders are lining up to tell Congress they don’t have enough resources to accomplish their many missions as ongoing defense budget cuts catch up to those in uniform and hinder mission success.
President Obama …
War Talk Is Cheap
Two of the most virulently anti-U.S. regimes in the world – Iran and Syria – are painting bulls-eyes on their backs by their deeds. But the Obama Administration is seeking non-military solutions in both cases. It’s driving …
Sequestration: A Big Word – And a Bigger Problem That Demands Action Now
There is not much policymakers in Washington can agree about lately. As evidenced by the lack of a Congressional budget resolution to fund the government that is on a continuing resolution autopilot, to the Super Committee’s failure to agree on what to cut, it is hard to find bipartisan consensus.
This is especially startling …
More on Ship-Naming Controversies: About the USS Gabrielle Giffords
The next Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) will be named for Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who recently resigned from Congress so she can concentrate on healing after an assassination attempt last year. This news was …
Testifying Before Congress: Laughing Through the Pain
Testifying before Congress repeatedly on the defense budget is tough work. “I’ve been in hearings for the last three days — shit, I think I should get some kind of award going through that crap,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told airmen in Louisiana on Friday. “I mean, I told General [Marty] Dempsey [chairman of the Joint Chiefs, …
Nuclear New Math
Reports that the Pentagon is weighing a range of cuts to the nation’s nuclear arsenal – perhaps going as low as 300 deployed strategic weapons, down from the current 1,550 – has nuclear-triggered concern on Capitol Hill. “I have to suggest to you,” Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., told Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on …