Cuts could make USA a second-rate power, Panetta warns

[unhappycamper]

http://www.freep.com/usatoday/article/1884447?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p



Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaks to reporters on Jan. 24 at the Pentagon.

Cuts could make USA a second-rate power, Panetta warns
by Tom Vanden Brook
6:02 PM, February 1, 2013

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned Friday the United States would become a "second-rate power" if Congress and the White House fail to reach a budget deal that would avoid an extra $500 billion in military budget cuts over the next 10 years.

The Army would be forced to slash its ranks by an additional 100,000 soldiers over 10 years if the process called sequestration went into effect, Panetta said in an interview with USA TODAY. That reduction would be in addition to the 80,000 soldiers it plans to shed over the next five years to a force of about 490,000. The Marine Corps will drop about 20,000 troops under the current plan, which calls on the Pentagon to reduce spending by $487 billion over the next decade.

Congress has until March 1 to reach a deal to stop the cuts, which were created in a summer 2011 deal between Congress and President Obama to raise the nation's debt ceiling.

"We are the world's most powerful military, and we use that to promote peace and stability in the world," Panetta said. "It would be a shameful act of irresponsibility if Congress just stood to the side and let sequester take place. It would turn America from a first-rate power into a second-rate power."



unhappycamper comment: If a 10% budget cut puts our military into a "second-rate power" status, perhaps we should go for a 20% cut and lose all the expensive (non-working) toys. Get out of Afghanistan, reduce nukes, cut the military head count, and maybe stop being the world's self-appointed policeman. And stop droning people.

[newfie11]

1. Bullshit but if true good

Maybe we will quit destroying countries.
Of course this is why he wants to get his mitts on SS.

[Fresh_Start]

2. Sounds like ineffective management in the defense department

if they need to have more than the next 16 countries combined to be in the top slot.
How about we reduce their budget to the size of the 2nd largest company...
We'd still be giving them a lot more money than any other country.

[Scuba]

3. We would have to cut 80% of our defense budget to be second-rate. What a bunch of bullshit.

[earthside]

4. 'Second rate' to whom?

Even with those cuts I suspect the U.S. will still be spending more than the next ten countries combine on 'defense'.

The list of reasonable cuts to the military is easy to make ... but the beneficiaries of the gravy-train want to just keep the gravy pouring. How about raising the retirement age for careerists to 65 like the rest of us? How about closing some of the tens of military installations we have in Italy? Why is there a base in Bulgaria?

Take the transfer of wealth from the middle class to the weapons manufacturers and the defense contractors out of the equation and we can very adequately protect this nation with less than half of what is being spent now on 'defense'.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Exactly what I was going to post.