National security is among the most important roles of the federal government. This does not mean, however, that we should completely abstain from questioning the size of its budget. As we have reported on several occasions, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been one of the most outspoken critics of his own department’s budget. Today, the Huffington Post has a thoughtful piece about the debate over government overspending on defense and whether Secretary Gates’ proposals will bring about meaningful reform:
Military spending is moving to the forefront of Washington policy prattle. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates got headlines early this week when he proposed some changes in command structures along with other organization adjustments which in aggregate could save billions of dollars over five years. Skeptics saw the initiative as a ploy to take the steam out of rising concern for the spiral in defense spending at a time of heightened anxiety over long-term budget deficits. In truth, Gates’ cost cutting measures would just nibble around the edge of our vast military establishment, replenished each year by $750 – 800 billion (including ad hoc Iraq/Afghanistan appropriations). For example, he talks of a 30 percent reduction in the number of contractors but is unable to tell Congress how many the Pentagon employs in total — even without counting the 150,000 or so who serve as hired help in our two wars. He foresees defense spending actually going up in real terms — just by a somewhat lesser amount due to his projected cuts.
