| Even at the highest degree of savings, the proposal | | | | Defense which, to no one's surprise announced that |
| is a drop in a very big ocean considering that our | | | | the findings of the Quadrennial Defense Review had |
| global military establishment is funded to the tune of | | | | understated military needs across the board. The |
| $750 to 800 billion per year. It's really not even a | | | | USIP direly announced that military funding had to be |
| drop in the bucket considering that Gates still sees | | | | increased to levels far above the QDR's |
| military spending continuing to increase, just not as | | | | recommended expenditures or disaster would be |
| fast as it has been in the last few years. | | | | close at hand. The only concession the USIP report |
| The military/industrial complex, despite the modesty | | | | made was to admit some waste and inefficiencies |
| of the proposals which have been put forward, is | | | | which would be eliminated to help pay for the |
| taking every measure possible to ensure that their | | | | spending increase. Specific actions on how to |
| budgets remain untouched and unexamined. These | | | | eliminate waste and inefficiency were not detailed. |
| measures include the vague testimony given by | | | | The military/industrial complex's desire for open |
| Gates, to the assembly of committees made of | | | | ended and growing funding to defend America isn't |
| members of the military/industrial complex to | | | | meeting any resistance in Congress for good reason; |
| override proposed budgets from Congress. Gates | | | | bringing massive military projects home to the |
| gave as vague a testimony as possible, talking about | | | | constituency while receiving campaign funds from the |
| reducing 30 percent of the number of military | | | | same purveyors of those projects is too big a |
| contractors but saying he didn't know how many | | | | temptation to pass up. On the political side, those |
| contractors are currently employed by the Pentagon. | | | | that make any mention of military cutbacks still get |
| Regarding committees to refute the findings of the | | | | branded with a "soft on terror" tattoo and then have |
| Quadrennial Defense Review, made public this spring, | | | | to abandon the rest of the agenda to defend |
| Congress tasked the United States Institute of | | | | cutbacks on redundant and unworthy projects. For |
| Peace (how's that for a misnomer) to provide an | | | | many, it's much easier to go along for the ride, tough |
| independent study of military needs and funding. The | | | | on terror and bringing home the bacon to the voters. |
| committee was chosen by the Department of | | | | |