Saturday, May 9, 2009
Here is a link to a briefing on the AF budget -- macro view. It is an excellent description of the President's Budget request.
This second link provides a more detailed look at the entire 2010 Defense Budget.
Finally, AFA has a few thoughts on this budget. A starting document would be our press release.
For your consideration,
Mike
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Friday, May 8, 2009
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8 comments:
The Nation is understandably preoccupied with our economic situation. A tremendous amount of effort and funding has gone into a variety of programs ranging from supporting banks to outright handouts, all done in a well-intentioned effort to infuse dollars into the economy.
What has escaped consideration, or so it would seem, is the impact of military capital acquisition programs. Military budgets are seen as pure expense by many in the country.
I would propose that there is no better way to infuse those dollars into the economy than through recapitalizing our military. Major acquisition programs, which represent only a fraction of the "give away programs", put dollars into the economy, employ thousands, sustain out industrial and technological base and, by the way, strengthen the Nation.
Defense!!!!!! it was 9% of GNP in 1962 now its 4% we need to wake up and smell the cost of freedom!!!
Gates must be replaced with someone with a wider view of future threats! Air Supremacy over our future battlefields will be lost if we proceed down the present proposed course!!!
Our Military programs for future capabilities looks as though our Commander and Chief has a plan and the nation is the looser. 27 years of Enlisted and Officer service to help protect this nation and our way of life, my goodness, we must weather the storm and continue to lead the world as the super power that we are. I will not just stand by and see my work and the work of millions of Americans over the past 200 plus years go down the drain.
Retired Lt Col Charles Henthorn
I could not be more disappointed in the the Air Force. When it was the favored service of the Clinton administration (because it could wage war with low casualty risk) USAF wasted more R&D money on the F-22 than the Army's entire R&D budget. The problem with USAF's procurement system is that it takes far too long from concept to IOC, primarily for bureaucratic reasons. Geopolitical events move faster than USAF weapons procurement - heck, GEOLOGICAL events move faster than USAF weapons procurement! Why should it take the US defense industry longer to develop a weapons system than our adversaries? The F-22 is now more a political weapon than a practical war-fighting weapon. In reality, 187 is 187 too many.
I could not be more disappointed in the the Air Force. When it was the favored service of the Clinton administration (because it could wage war with low casualty risk) USAF wasted more R&D money on the F-22 than the Army's entire R&D budget. The problem with USAF's procurement system is that it takes far too long from concept to IOC, primarily for bureaucratic reasons. Geopolitical events move faster than USAF weapons procurement - heck, GEOLOGICAL events move faster than USAF weapons procurement! Why should it take the US defense industry longer to develop a weapons system than our adversaries? The F-22 is now more a political weapon than a practical war-fighting weapon. In reality, 187 is 187 too many.
REad the releases. No question that there is only a political input to the defense budeget.
Rumsfeild made McNamara look good. It seems that Gates is following McNamara's footsteps. The Secdef should insutre the countries survival not a political direction.. Should he not be able to do that he should resign. Julius Sanks
I agree with you John, but building whatever is in the pipeline right now would be a mistake. The larger picture is that the defense development & procurement system needs to be reinvented so that it has a shorter time horizon than anyone else's, and shorter than the geopolitical landscape changes. The F-22 is a Cold War weapon looking for a mission. It's primary mission now is political - to help certain congressional districts with jobs & contracts. I'd rather buy the right weapon for the foreseeable threat, wherever it is built.
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