Friday, August 01, 2014

Now that the Pentagon has figured out that gutting the military is a mistake...

What is the community organizer in chief going to do about it?

THIS blog has been saying all along that it is criminal stupidity to gut the military of this country while our enemies grow larger and more emboldened by our policy of self-imposed weakness.

Blaming the budget is a non-starter: we're wasting billions on everything from Obamaphones to illegal aliens while carrier battle groups remain tied up at their docks for lack of funds and the military is decimating our combat-hardened ranks because these men who've put their lives at risk for us on COL Jessup's "Wall' have tattoos.

Obama military downsizing leaves U.S. too weak to counter global threats, panel finds

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama visit Fort Stewart. (White House photo)

An independent panel appointed by the Pentagon and Congress said Thursday that President Obama’s strategy for sizing the armed services is too weak for today’s global threats.

The National Defense Panel called on the president to dump a major section of his 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and write a broader strategy that requires the military to fight on multiple fronts at once.

It also said the shrinking U.S. armed forces, which are being downsized to fit that strategy and budget cuts, is a “serious strategic misstep on the part of the United States.” The forces’ numbers spelled out in Mr. Obama’s QDR are “inadequate given the future strategic and operational environment."

The warning comes as Mr. Obama is under criticism from many Republicans and some Democrats for his standoff policy toward Syria and his limited response to a June offensive by an al Qaeda offshoot that has gobbled up swaths of territory in Iraq.

** FILE ** In this May 1, 2014, file photo, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks to reporters at the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
SECDEF Chuck Hagel
Congress authorized the panel of outside experts to review the QDR, a strategy for shaping the active and reserve force. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel appointed the co-chairmen: former Defense Secretary William Perry, who served under President Bill Clinton, and retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, who ran U.S. Central Command during the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.

The panel’s report said the past several years of budget cuts and mandated reduction in personnel and weapons have stirred deep unease among allies who would count on the U.S. in a crisis.

“Not only have they caused significant investment shortfalls in U.S. military readiness and both present and future capabilities, they have prompted our current and potential allies and adversaries to question our commitment and resolve,” the report said. “Unless reversed, these shortfalls will lead to a high-risk force in the near future. That in turn will lead to an America that is not only less secure but also far less prosperous. In this sense, these cuts are ultimately self-defeating.”
More:

These conclusions are self-evident: any Spec 4 knows this.

How come the guys with all the stars couldn't figure it out... or are they just political puppet generals more concerned about keep their jobs than they are defending this country?

Is that even a question?

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