Defense spending on the chopping block

Washington Post, November 12, 2011 | Letter

Regarding the Nov. 7 editorial “Defense on the rocks”:

Automatic cuts to military spending are not an ideal approach because they interfere with rational planning. But the Pentagon’s ambitious spending plans can be reduced by $1 trillion over the next decade — gradually and in conjunction with a revision of the Pentagon’s far-flung missions — without undercutting essential capabilities.

Military spending is at its highest levels since World War II, and it has increased for 13 years running. A $1 trillion reduction would still leave the Pentagon budget at 2007 levels. And 2007 was a very good year for the Pentagon by historical standards.

What the Pentagon needs is more spending discipline, not more spending. We should cut our bloated nuclear weapons budget by forgoing plans to build nuclear bombers, submarines and weapons facilities. And we should not waste money planning for major, boots-on-the-ground wars such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are neither likely nor advisable. Curtailing these missions would go a long way toward creating a sustainable military budget that will be more than adequate to address the most urgent threats.

William D. Hartung, New York

The writer is the director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy.