No $ Out Guned - White House Admitted humbled New US military position

[obama.bin.laden]

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/04/panetta-ending-two-war-strategy/

01:43 PM ET
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Obama ending two-war strategy

By Chris Lawrence

The United States should give up the capability to fight two major ground wars simultaneously, according to a Pentagon review that will be presented this week, a U.S. official said Wednesday.

The review will be publicly outlined by President Barack Obama, the White House announced. The president will join Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen Martin Dempsey on Thursday at the Pentagon to discuss the military posture vision.

The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the strategic review presents priorities to guide the military into the future, but "they are proposals, not all of them set in stone."

The review sets forth potentially big changes in U.S. strategy, including, the official said, removing up to 4,000 troops from Europe and downsizing the overall ground forces even further. The 2012 budget request already called for cuts of 27,000 soldiers and 20,000 Marines in the next four years, and those numbers could increase.

The military would not maintain its ability to wage two large conflicts at the same time, such as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan, the official said.

But the United States would still be able to deploy troops and equipment to "deter a second adversary" while engaged in a major ground conflict. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has said the military needs to be able to respond rapidly to a crisis, even with a smaller budget constrained force.

The official said the report is not expected to call for massive cuts to weapons programs.

The review took eight months, the official said, and builds upon themes from the Quadrennial Defense Review conducted in 2010. That QDR called for greater cooperation between services, particularly the Air Force and Navy.

The official said the Pentagon will put forward a proposal to continue to allow the U.S. military "to conduct long-range strikes and protect its interests and allies around the world."

The review was conducted in light of potential limits on federal spending and the need to reduce the Pentagon's budget.

Currently, the Pentagon is committed to nearly half a trillion dollars in cuts over the next decade and could be on the hook for another half trillion dollars if Congress does not find a way around automatic cuts that enacted after the failure to reach an agreement on the federal budget.

 

[obama.bin.laden]

http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-n...unveiling-new-military-shaped-by-budget-cuts/

Obama Unveiling New Military Shaped by Budget Cuts
Posted Thursday, January 5th, 2012 at 10:50 am

U.S. President Barack Obama is unveiling a new defense plan Thursday reflecting billions of dollars in budget cuts and ending a decades-old strategy of being prepared to fight two wars at once.

The president is outlining the strategic review at the Pentagon. Joining him are Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey.

Officials say the new strategy will expand the U.S. military's role in Asia in the face of China's rise and also focus on maintaining a presence in the Middle East, where Iran remains a concern.

The plan is also expected to mark a move away from a two-war readiness strategy. The U.S. would instead be ready to fight one war, while being able to block aggressive actions elsewhere.

Panetta will announce plans to cut troop numbers, reduce civilian staff, and delay several new weapons programs, including construction of a new aircraft carrier. He also wants to find ways to cut personnel costs by reviewing military pensions and health care spending for troops and their families.

Some news reports say troop levels could be cut by 10 percent, mostly from the Army and Marines. Reports say this reduction could include soldiers stationed in Europe and some troops focused on counter-insurgency efforts in countries like Afghanistan.

Former U.S. defense official Frank Gaffney told VOA the new strategy has many problems. He said both the strategy and the budget could keep the U.S. from being able to simultaneously deal with any potential conflicts, including with China and Iran.

“It may not be up to us how many wars we have to fight. Enemies who perceive us unable to deal with more than one problem at a time may decide to collaborate and work in a simultaneous fashion that will simply over tax us. And worse, the perception that we are so weak as to be unable to deal with that sort of danger invites it.”

The Defense Department faces cuts of at least $450 billion – about 8 percent of its budget – over the next decade. However, additional cuts, totaling more than $500 billion, may be possible as Congress and President Obama seek ways to reduce the U.S. budget deficit.

The Pentagon budget for this year is about $530 billion.

Many businesses, such as weapons and aircraft makers, are expected to feel the cuts.

On Wednesday, Boeing – one of the world's largest aircraft makers – said it plans to close a plant in the central state of Kansas next year, in part because of changing market needs. Among other things, the plant converts civilian aircraft to military use for the Pentagon. About 2,000 employees at the plant would lose their jobs.

 

[obama.bin.laden]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...Q7bdng?docId=1a6651a1f9f34d6397742b76815d2204

Obama unveils new strategy for smaller military

By ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer – 4 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama insists the United States will maintain what he calls the best-equipped military in history despite deep and looming defense budget cuts.

In a rare appearance in the Pentagon briefing room, Obama has offered the outlines of an overhauled defense strategy. It is designed to contend with hundreds of billions of dollars in budget cuts and refocus the United States' national security priorities after a decade dominated by the post.-Sept. 11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Obama says the military will be leaner but promises the world that the U.S. will maintain its "military superiority" with fighting forces ready for any threat.

The president says the strategy review centered on the military the country needs after the "long wars of the last decade are over."