DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS CUTS AND MILITARY READINESS

This research paper discusses pro and con arguments about the effects, if any, of recent reductions in appropriations for the armed services on their state of readiness. The thesis is that they may indeed have adverse impact on readiness, but those effects could be eliminated if compensating savings were made in other parts of the American defense budget which, however, do not appear to be feasible for political and other reasons.

Recent Military Funding Levels and Trends

Defense budget outlays of the United States are $266 billion for fiscal year (FY) 1998, and actual outlays (expenditures) are projected by the Office of Management and Budget to increase slightly over the succeeding four FYs (1999-2002): $256 billion in FY 1999, $262.9 billion in FY 2000, $265.9 billion in FY 2001, and $275.5 billion in FY 2001. These figures do not include $13 billion per annum spent by the Department of Energy on the national nuclear stockpile and include some classified spending of intelligence agencies which is included in the Pentagon budget. This compares with peak annual outlays during the Vietnam War and the Reagan military buildup of the mid- to late-1980s of about $405-415 billion or a reduction during the past 10 years of roughly 45 percent before inflation. Bandow says that "outlays have fallen, but . . . expenditures today remain above those of 1980."

Some interesting statistical comparisons are as follows:

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ng or flying them." According to Mann, some manifestations of strain/readiness weaknesses are "limited fuel supplies, fewer spares and flight hours, personnel shortfalls, pilot and avionics shortages, late installation of new technologies and a lack of skilled workers in some specialties." Arguments for Retaining or Reducing Present Spending Levels A coalition of liberals anxious to reap the benefits of the 'peace' dividend resulting from the ending of the Cold War and budget-cutting conservatives argue that the nation's defense posture is more than adequate and/or that further cuts in defense spending are in order. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) says that, "if there is no change in the Administration's projected military budget, domestic spending faces a crunch of tremendous proportions." Former Rep. Ron Dellums (D-Calif.) called for cuts in defense spending of $217 billion over the next five years. Other experts, such as Lawrence Korb, who headed the section of the Defense Department which was in charge of readiness during the Reagan administration, says, "the nonpolitical generals and admirals are taking all of us to the cleaners, using the readiness gap to snatch up precious dollars to defend against a threat that no long
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William Cohen, Pearl Harbor, Odom Pentagon, Cold War, Minuteman III, Readiness Advocates, War Reagan, Secretary Cohen, MILITARY READINESS, Quadrennial Review, defense spending, defense budget, weapons systems, fy 1998, cuts defense spending, cold war, management budget, cuts defense, defense secretary, budget internet, nation's military, office management budget, national security industrial, management budget budget, 15 january 1997,
Approximate Word count = 2149
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)