Military Budget Cuts Key to Balancing Federal Budget

COMMENTARY | The debt super committee still has to finalize its plans to cut the federal budget, but it still seems as if politics are preventing congressmen and women from getting the job done. After narrowly averting a government shutdown last week, there is little hope the committee will be able to accomplish its mission. We may see the mandatory cuts that would result if the debt super committee fails.

There is still hope for a compromise. Congress simply needs to cut from areas in the budget that make sense. The military budget is the most logical choice for this; plenty of money can be saved so we need not take from Medicare or Social Security.

V-22 Osprey Purchase Program

The U.S. military entered into a deal with Bell Boeing to purchase nearly 200 Osprey aircraft for the Marines and Air Force at a cost of $10.92 billion. The purchase was part of a multi-year contract, so backing out of the remaining order now could save $15 billion over the next 10 years. The Osprey is a small aircraft unable to transport equipment along with soldiers, meaning that wherever the planes are deployed, supporting aircraft will always be needed. The military already has more efficient and cost-effective aircraft in its arsenal.

Trim the Pentagon’s Civilian Workforce

The Pentagon currently employs 650,000 civilian employees. Given the bureaucracy in all areas of the government, some of these positions may be redundant or completely unnecessary. The annual payroll for these employees is estimated at $77 billion for 2011, according to Downsizing Government. Cutting the payroll at the Pentagon by 15 percent could save the government as much as $11.2 billion per year.

Cut the Number of Active Army Personnel

If the goal is to remove our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, it should only stand to reason that we should be able to reduce the number of active men and women in the Army. Currently, the Association of the U.S. Army estimates our active troops number 569,000. Reducing this number has many benefits. We could reduce the amount that we spend on their income, housing, as well as the cost of day-to-day operations for each soldier. Reducing the number of troops by 187,000 could save the government $220 billion over the next 10 years.

These are just three places in the defense budget that costs can be trimmed. Together, they represent a quarter of a trillion dollars in savings. The cuts do not come without a price tag of their own. Reducing the civilian payroll and the number of troops means significant job loss. Congress and President Obama need to come up with a clear plan for creating jobs in this country.

Remember, no matter where we cut from the budget, jobs will be lost. The cuts could just as easily come from other federal personnel reductions. Balancing the budget and finding new streams of revenue is never easy. It seems many Americans have already paid a price for our lagging economy, but trimming the budget with common sense will allow government programs that assist those in need to continue, thereby helping our nation’s most vulnerable citizens in their hour of need. Not buying a few airplanes seems like a good way to get to that point.


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