Friday, October 28, 2011

Cutting Defense in the Face of Trillions


The growing debt of the United States is something we Americans have become accustomed to. We know that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have added to it, and that under Obama the debt has increased by $4 trillion. So yes, something has to give. We simply can’t go on at this pace. However, cutting Department of Defense funds is not the way to go. At a time when we’re finally making progress, such as finding and killing Osama Bin Laden, how can cutting DOD funds even come into the mind of our president? The military in itself is a lifestyle. Our servicemen and women must eat, sleep, and train together, or the necessary bonding and overall mindset that they need to succeed in the field will never manifest. Never mind the fact that the development of better, more efficient weapons that can cut down civilian loss would all but cease. And what if we had another 9/11? What if, by cutting DOD funds, there aren’t enough personnel to monitor security threats? What if we didn’t have the personnel to respond to those threats?

Now I’m not completely ignorant. The military, as with any organization that has been around for a long time, could probably make a few cuts here and there. The government should give the DOD time to work on this, and in the meantime take from other, less absolutely necessary departments. We as Americans need to recognize the substantial protection our military gives us, as well as the immense sacrifices they make to do so.

2 comments:

  1. My colleague’s blog post about cutting the Department of Defense’s budget brings up several valid points. I agree that without a solid army intact, our country is left a little more vulnerable. After reading an article on the DOD’s website about the devastating impact budget cutting could have, I believe along with Alex that this is definitely not the way to go.

    The economy is already at a devastating low. Cutting budgets means cutting jobs, which in turn means fewer people to defend our country and a rise in the percentage of people who may become unemployed. Alex mentions in her blog that without enough personnel to monitor our security, then we are less likely to extract important information that could prevent another attack on our soil. I think an attack on our country could cause millions of tax payer’s dollars leaving our country even deeper in debt. Department of Defense Press Secretary George Little is quoted saying, “We’re not talking about just military jobs, we’re also talking about jobs in the private sector that support the innovation and creativity and capabilities that we need to keep America strong.” He also goes to mention that this cut could downsize our Army, Marine Corps, and Navy to the smallest it has been in nearly 100 years.

    Alex brings up a great point in that they should start cutting budgets in less necessary departments. First and foremost however is keeping our nation armed and protected. The DOD’s already cut budget is manageable, but an even bigger cut will force the decision on whether fiscal security and national security are higher importance over the other.

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  2. Alex offers us a concerned insight into her Cutting Defense in the Face of Trillions blog post. I think we can all agree that these past years of war have cost our nation both in money and lives. However, it doesn’t seem that there will be an end anytime soon. Therefore, it’s necessary to begin to “lighten” this ballooning debt we are continuing to increase on a daily basis, the million dollar question is where do we take money from?

    As a military wife, I agree with Alex that cutting military funding isn’t the way to go, but as with anything there are always some expenses that could be scaled back just not at the sacrifice of the soldiers or their families.
    While your commentary is well written in favor of non DOD cut backs, I am left wondering what your ideas are for budget cuts in general. In the beginning of this course we filled out a survey about budget cuts and had to make decisions to take money from different areas, I think this would have been a perfect opportunity for you to add your budget cut choices into this blog to give us more of a solution. I remember having a difficult time making those choices, because everyone has a reason or a cause for why they need money and it is a very challenging position to be in, not one that I envy at all.

    I appreciate your concern for the military and its possible impending cut backs and look forward to reading your blogs in the future.

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