Will Mayport's Missing Aircraft Carrier Show Up on Schedule?

[reednavy]

DOD needs to cut spending, big time. I can't begin to tell you how much waste I witnessed while in.

[tufsu1]

sure...but even conservative deficit-hawk Republicans aren't willing to agree to that...meanwhile, the U.S. spends as much money on defense every years as the rest of the world combined!

[Dog Walker]

Gates has proposed some minor cuts to command staff and the senators from Virginia have gone completely ballistic.

[reednavy]

sure...but even conservative deficit-hawk Republicans aren't willing to agree to that...meanwhile, the U.S. spends as much money on defense every years as the rest of the world combined!

42% of our national budget, gotta love it.

[buckethead]

DOD needs to cut spending, big time. I can't begin to tell you how much waste I witnessed while in.

My father would agree. He was a Marine. That was back in 1955-74.

The waste has been accumulating. I'd rather waste money on vote buying schemes.

[NotNow]

Defense is 23% of the Federal Budget.  See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Federal_Spending_-_FY_2007.png

I would rather not waste money at all.  But the last thing I want to do is make our soldiers vulnerable.  The fact is, we ARE the world's policeman.  Neither Rep's or Dem;s have done anything to change that.  It's why we spend more than any other country.  As long as we send Americans into harms way then I will stand behind spending the money.  Change the politics first before you shortchange servicemen and women.

Si vis pacem, para bellum

[/b]

[CS Foltz]

Unless we wish another Pearl Harbor, we need to diversify the fleet, plain and simple! Consolidation is not only stupid but strategically inept! We are the worlds "Policeman" wether we want to be or not and those in the field today, as well as tomorrow, deserve and need the worlds best hardware and equipment plain and simple! I love it when the civilian side starts try to tell the military what they need to do the job! I can understand watching the dollar signs and that needs to be addressed, but there are limits!

[cityimrov]

As long as we send Americans into harms way then I will stand behind spending the money.  Change the politics first before you shortchange servicemen and women.

That would work if military spending is actually spent on useful military items.  Unfortunately, today, there are large, very expensive items that are being bought that are completely useless to the military.  I know people in purchasing who are wondering why they keep buying very useless expensive parts not because it's needed but because they have to!  

I'm going to guess a large portion of the military budget is spent on things the military doesn't need.  If I were to take the conspiracy route, I'd say a large portion of Congress tries to designates their special project agenda as "military" so it get's clumped into the military budget.  A "military" road project.  A factory to produce widgets and jobs for "military" purposes.  

If there was a MetroJacksonville on the military, I think most of us would be just as angry if not more angry with what's happening with the money.  Think of the King Street Garage or The Skyway or one of the fun city projects but 1000x worse.  Just because the spending is designated for the "military" doesn't mean that useful for the military.

I just get worried when I see Congressmen and Senators telling the military they "need" to spend on this project and that they "need this" multi-billion dollar  for the safety of the country.  Or worse, the military can't buy this great item or that awesome item but must buy the item over there that costs more and is obsolete but provides "jobs" for their constituents.  

[kells904]

Simply put...if you don't spend it this year, we won't give you as much next year. That's where a lot of the problem is.  You find a lot of unnecessary purchases leading up to the new fiscal year.  I see it too, reednavy...it's a problem that will persist as long as we can use the troops in theater and their gear as a blanket excuse.

[Ocklawaha]

As long as we send Americans into harms way then I will stand behind spending the money.  Change the politics first before you shortchange servicemen and women.

Si vis pacem, para bellum

[/b]

Vereor addo veneratio

OCKLAWAHA

[Coolyfett]

Well, Virgininians, so focused on the "little" aircraft carrier tussle with Mayport, may have missed keeping their eye on the really big fish.  Look at this cost cutting announcement for their area today by the Pentagon.  No indications of impact on the aircraft carrier reassignment./b]

The most pronounced change, in terms of the number of jobs to be eliminated in one blow, was his plan to close the military’s Joint Forces Command, in Norfolk, Va.

The command includes about 2,800 military and civilian positions supported by 3,000 contractors at an annual cost of $240 million. Its responsibilities, which includes programs to force the armed services to work together on the battlefield, will be reassigned, mostly to the military’s Joint Staff.

While large headquarters have been combined and realigned over the years, Pentagon officials could not recall a time in recent history when a major command was shut down and vanished off the books.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/us/10gates.html

Damn! I had clue Norfolk had so many eggs in the military basket. Thats interesting

[tufsu1]

I would rather not waste money at all.  But the last thing I want to do is make our soldiers vulnerable.  

that is a bumper sticker...there are many ways to cut defense funding while also protecting the lives of our soldiers.

[Dog Walker]

And why do we have to be the world's policeman?  If we stop doing it someone else will certainly step in to fill the gap.  Like maybe China.   Hmmmm.

[NotNow]

I would rather not waste money at all.  But the last thing I want to do is make our soldiers vulnerable. 

that is a bumper sticker...there are many ways to cut defense funding while also protecting the lives of our soldiers.

"Cut Defense Spending" is a bumper sticker as well.  What specific weapons systems, programs, or missions do you propose to cut?  Nuclear bombers?  Troop levels?  Korea?  Europe?  Each weapon supports a mission.  Each mission is also usually an obligation.  Which treaties should we abrogate?  NATO?  SEATO? 

It's easy to just say "cut that $100 Million dollar airplane"!  It's the best $100 Million the government ever spent when your laying in a foxhole facing three times your number and that airplane holds them back. 

Is there waste in the DOD?  Yes, there is.  Let's identify real waste and eliminate it.  Back to the thread though,  put the carrier here now...

[Ocklawaha]

Keep em' all at Norfolk and save the money? Didn't we already do that once? Hey, and while their at it, move that master jet base to a revived NAS Green Cove Springs (Lee Field).

OCKLAWAHA