A serious proposal to cut defense spending

[The Dharma Bum]

[Dylan]

[Dylan]

[Dylan]

[The Dharma Bum]

[Leviathan]

With respect to pay, I included it because rising pay and healthcare costs are currently the military's fastest growing expense. Between 1998 and 2012 military pay grew 60% in real terms, which not only outpaces in inflation, but puts to shame the wage growth average americans have experienced. From 1998 to 2012 the healthcare costs for military members, their families, and retirees, has doubled!

Today's military officers have take home pay that is better than 4/5 college Americans. Enlisted men on average were said to make more than 9/10 civilians with comparable education and experience. Perhaps most troublesome though, back in the 1990's, when military pay was not that high relative to the private sector, the Pentagon asked congress for annual increases that outpaced inflation and the private market, in an effort to catch up. Military pay, on average, caught up in 2006, yet congress continued giving raises.

I'm not advocating sweeping cuts. It's 10% of the DOD budget that needs to be shaved off. I'm simply saying stop increasing their pay year after year at a rate that shames the average american. Get healthcare costs under control, and shift those who have other good healthcare or insurance options out of the military funded programs. Ultimately I think, an extra grand or two to an enlisted man won't really change recruitment numbers. Additionally, with the war in Iraq wound down, and the one in Afghanistan finishing up, it isn't as if a vast majority of our personnel are fighting. While i have no problem with officers or enlistees making way more than their private sector counterparts if they have to face serious risks in Afghanistan or Iraq, i think that become less palatable when that it no longer the case and the military is being forced to make budget cuts.

[exploited]

[The Dharma Bum]

The money is mostly going to develop/build giant useless artillery pieces, laser missile defense, super planes and other glitzy kickback laden sci-fi pet projects.

Something should be done about that before we start looking at cutting basic manpower.

[The Dharma Bum]

Special Forces are basically assassination squads and the amount that we have is currently bigger than the entire Canadian military so, no, I don't think we need more of that.

May seem glamorous but ultimately a waste of money, especially in large numbers.

[exploited]

Special Forces are absolutely crucial and do far, far more than assassinate people. If you want to reduce your conventional forces, you'll need to make sure you have these guys around for low-level conflicts. Intelligence gathering, reconnaisance, sabotage, targeted strikes are just some of the jobs they do, and their cultural and linguistic skills are incredibly important if you are serious about cutting back.