Gates's budget ax: winners and losers

[troung]

Gates's budget ax: winners and losers - Laura Rozen - POLITICO.com

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Gates's budget ax: winners and losers - Laura Rozen: Gates's budget ax: winners and losers
January 07, 2011
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Gates's budget ax: winners and losers

POLITICO's Phil Ewing runs down highlights from Defense Secretary Bob Gates's barn burner budget- cut speech yesterday and judges the winners and losers:

WIN, LOSE or DRAW:

THE ARMY: DRAW - Loses the Surface-Launched Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile and the Non-Line-Of Sight Missile, which was dead already. Gains new funds for soldier suicide prevention and substance abuse counseling, modernization of its vehicle fleet, faster fielding of its tactical communications network, more MC-12 surveillance drones, an accelerated Grey Eagle and building of a whole new helicopter UAV.

THE AIR FORCE: WINNER - Loses nothing, in terms of programs. Gains modernized radars for the F-15 fleet, more Reapers and steadier institutional support for UAVs in the budget, increased procurement of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle and more F-35A simulators.

- AND, OH BY THE WAY, the Air Force will (re)start work on ... wait for it ... the next-generation bomber! Every heart inside every blue suit surged Thursday with the news. Gates said the bomber will be nuclear-capable, optionally unmanned and must enter the fleet in time to replace today's aging fleet.

THE NAVY: DRAW - Loses no programs. Gains an accelerated timetable for a new generation of electronic attack aircraft, a new seaborne UAV, yet more F/A-18 Super Hornets and refurbishing of the Marine Corps' vehicle fleet. Most of the shipbuilding arrangements Gates announced, such as the littoral combat ship, already were decided.

THE MARINE CORPS: BIG LOSER - Not only does the Corps lose the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, as we covered in depth on Thursday, Gates announced that he is putting the F-35B on "probation" for the next two years. Gates said the jet is having many problems, ones that could necessitate "redesign of the aircraft's structure and propulsion" - read: a lot more money. If engineers can't get the F-35B right by the end of its probation, Gates said, he'd support canceling it. (But will he still be around then? Excellent question!)

- AMOS ENDORSED THE DEATH OF THE EFV, he said in a statement Thursday, while also emphasizing that the Marines must keep their ability to do forced-entry amphibious invasions. He wants to explore a new, cheaper amphibious transport that gets the job done but won't endure the cost and development struggles of the EFV. And Congress is spoiling for a fight about this - full coverage by DiMascio. Will Congress save the Marines? EFV? - Jen DiMascio - POLITICO.com

M-D PERSPECTIVE: ADVANTAGE SECDEF - Gates and Mullen emerged from Thursday's announcements like Paul Newman and Robert Redford in "The Sting:" There's nothing they can do about who walks up to their table (i.e. Congress) but for now, these guys are running the game. This year's official budget discussion is still weeks away, but now it will proceed on Gates's terms. And as House Republicans continue their splashy demonstrations - such as cutting $35 million from their own budget to show how serious they are on spending - the political table here appears to favor the dealers. For now.

HILL DEFENSE ADVOCATES BLASTED GATES'S ANNOUNCEMENT. But Republicans had to walk a tricky line, taking care to express support both for prudent spending and strong defense. Said McKeon: "I remain committed to applying more fiscal responsibility and accountability to the Department of Defense, but I will not stand idly by and watch the White House gut defense when Americans are deployed in harm's way."

Missouri's Todd Akin, chairman of the HASC seapower subcommittee, issued a statement that castigated the Obama administration for wanting to cut spending during wartime and remonstrated Gates for killing the EFV: "If the President and the Secretary of Defense want to get rid of the Marine Corps, they should come out and say that directly," he said. But in the very same press release, Akin also praised Gates for permitting the Navy to buy another batch of Boeing-made, Missouri-built F/A-18 Super Hornets. Akin and other Super Hornet supporters may well push for another multi-year deal to lock in all those jets.

All in all, Ewing conclude, Thursday was an eventful day.

[astralis]

Defence cuts: Those spending cuts you said you wanted | The Economist

Those spending cuts you said you wanted
Jan 7th 2011, 17:16 by M.S.

TEA-PARTY groups are warning the GOP to cut government spending dramatically or face primary challenges, The Hill reports. Judson Phillips of Tea Party Nation posted an open letter to John Boehner on his website (access for Tea Party Nation members only!) demanding "serious and meaningful cuts in the budget." Fortunately, Robert Gates, America's secretary of defence, provided Mr Boehner with an easy way to do so yesterday.

Gates surprises lawmakers with plan to cut $78 billion from defense budget

By Erik Wasson 01/06/11 12:24 PM ET

Defense Secretary Robert Gates Thursday told Congress the administration is seeking $78 billion in cuts to the Defense budget over the next five years on top of $100 billion in efficiencies.
Not bad. $15 billion per year is about 75% as much as the government could save by eliminating earmarks entirely. Mr Gates is continuing his remarkable record as an elder statesman at Defence with the dedication, long-term strategic vision and political independence needed to cut wasteful programmes and bring spending down to sustainable levels. It really is surprising to see.

The GOP leadership's reaction? Less surprising.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) said after the morning briefing that he was deeply concerned about the surprising depth of the spending cuts. McKeon said he had gone into the meeting expecting to oppose the plan to trim $100 billion in waste when Gates announced the additional $78 billion in reductions.“We are fighting two wars, you have China, you have Iran: Is this the time to be making these types of cuts?” McKeon said.
Presumably the time to make these kinds of cuts is after China and Iran cease to exist. Note that Mr McKeon isn't just against the new $78 billion in cuts; he opposes the initial $100 billion in cuts, too. And GOP congressmen aren't just a bunch of airy talkers; they're getting ready to do something about it.

In anticipation of the Gates announcement, House supporters of the Marine Corps, which is being especially hard hit, gathered Thursday morning to plan a strategy. The meeting was attended by Armed Services Committee members Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), John Kline (R-Minn.), Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) and Todd Aiken (R-Mo.), an aide said. Rep. Robert Wittman (R-Va.) also attended. Defense contractors are hoping to rely on this informal Marine Corps caucus to revive the EFV [the Marine Emergency Fighting Vehicle] and preserve F-35B [the Marine Corps version of the F-35 fighter] after the two-year probation period.
Like the Marine Corps, Congress has a long, proud history of combat. In Congress's case, it's mainly a history of fighting the Pentagon to force it to accept weapons systems it doesn't want. Clearly, the House's new Republican leadership plans to continue this exemplary tradition. I expect Judson Phillips and Tea Party Nation will denounce the GOP's refusal to accept these budget cuts approximately never. But maybe they'll surprise me.

[Bill]

I stopped following defense matters entirely when Gates cut the F-22 last year. 30 years of development to finally produce a silver bullet, and the suits cancel it without a replacement, and facing an aged and obsolescent existing fleet of Eagles.

I prefer to focus on women, guns and cars. I am much happier that way.

What's up Troung, old friend.

[troung]

OMG, how have you been?

I have been well.

[Bill]

Been good my friend. Good to talk to you once more.

[USSWisconsin]

I stopped following defense matters entirely when Gates cut the F-22 last year. 30 years of development to finally produce a silver bullet, and the suits cancel it without a replacement, and facing an aged and obsolescent existing fleet of Eagles.

I prefer to focus on women, guns and cars. I am much happier that way.

I feel the same way about defense, adding the Zumwalt's to the story, my main "woman" is a bit younger - she'll be 11 this year (my daughter) But I have a 20 year year old who is pretty nice looking too :) - my older daughter. Awesome photography, once again - your "ladies in black" on the pictures thread.

[Bill]

There will be more ladies to follow. :)

[troung]

Great to have you back here man!

[Bill]

It's great to be back, my friend.

[cr9527]

It's great to be back, my friend.

You jynxed it Bill :(
back in 2004 you said:

Yes, the F-35 is stealth, but the program has a lot of problems right now....particularly the B model.

Wait, strike that- the B model is the problem. That's the USMC VSTOL variant.
It will never see service- you read that here first. ;)

The F-35A and F-35C so far appear to be real hotrods.

[Bill]

I didn't want to say i told you so, but....I did.

I'm amazed you were able to find that quote among the noise of my 16,000+ posts, lol.

For the record, back then I also predicted that the then projected $35m per copy price tag for the F-35 was a complete and total pipe dream that would triple (if not quadruple) before a single aircraft ever saw service. How's that prediction looking so far?

[cr9527]

I didn't want to say i told you so, but....I did.

I'm amazed you were able to find that quote among the noise of my 16,000+ posts, lol.

For the record, back then I also predicted that the then projected $35m per copy price tag for the F-35 was a complete and total pipe dream that would triple (if not quadruple) before a single aircraft ever saw service. How's that prediction looking so far?

The price has doubled, at least for the full rate production price.

[Bill]

Well on the road to another sadly accurate prediction. :(