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Pentagon's nightmare: $1 trillion in cuts

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- What's the easiest way to scare the biggest, baddest fighting force on the planet? Budget cuts.

Already facing a $350 billion reduction in funding over the next decade, top Pentagon officials are worried that number could rise to $1 trillion.

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The problem? The debt super committee and gridlock on Capitol Hill.

A product of the debt ceiling deal, the committee must cut at least $1.5 trillion in debt from the overall federal budget over 10 years. If it fails to do that or it deadlocks, automatic cuts will be triggered at the Pentagon. (Super committee: Who are these guys?)

Dubbed "the trigger," defense cuts were supposed to force lawmakers to compromise on debt reduction, acting as a powerful and politically unthinkable deterrent.

But, Washington being Washington, the committee appears to be making precious little progress. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is worried.

Defense spending: Slaying the sacred cow
"It will truly devastate our national defense," Panetta told lawmakers last week. "We will have to hollow it out ... I don't say that as scare tactics. I don't say it as a threat. It's a reality."

Defense hawks are also up in arms. Sen. John McCain suggested last week that if the super committee fails to reach an agreement, Congress should nullify the Pentagon budget cuts.

"The Congress is not bound by this," McCain said. "It's something we passed. We can reverse it."

Why all the hubbub? An awful lot of ships, planes, weapons systems and soldiers are at stake.

The Pentagon is facing a worst case scenario of up to $1 trillion in defense cuts over the next decade if the super committee fails, according to an analysis by the Center for a New American Security, a defense think tank.

0:00 / 2:16 Debt committee's job: Fix everything
"That's a fairly drastic drop-off in defense spending," said Travis Sharp, one of the report's authors. "I'd call that a cliff."

The center estimates that the Pentagon can absorb up to $550 billion in budget cuts without affecting the military's "ability to protect vital American interests worldwide, engage key allies and modernize after a decade of grueling ground wars."

But if cuts reach $1 trillion, the military -- and its mission -- will look very different.

According to the report, the Army and Marines might be forced to cut troop strength to pre-2001 levels. Ships would go unbuilt, aircraft orders would be cancelled and capabilities diminished.

War in an age of deficits
The United States would no longer be able engage in two major conflicts at the same time.

"Does the world come crumbling down? No," Sharp said. "But political leaders would have to be far more disciplined about using force. And quite frankly they have not been very disciplined over the last 65 years."

Cuts that total near $1 trillion would likely force the military and its civilian leadership to rethink strategy -- and change the American military's place in the world.

"The major cuts to ground forces and strike fighters ... risk sending a message of receding U.S. power in a dangerous world," the report said.


Pentagon's nightmare: $1 trillion in budget cuts - Oct. 20, 2011
 
Why dont they stop giving aid to Israel and see what happens ina year i reckon that would be a great start. I think charity starts at home. Stop the aid to the Pakistanis - they never even see it because their leaders take it all and reduce their armies EVERYWHERE and guys America would be smiling within 12 months but alas it wont happen!
 
I had heard of the '$500 hammer for years' describing the Pentagon. Today I saw someplace saying '$200 toilet seat' to describe them.

It is truly sad that Americans are being robbed of the bounties of their hard-work, of the lush, productive land, by the oligarchy which controls the Congress. Americans are the hardest working (at least most productive, by a Norwegian study) in the world. Pentagon is a leech!
 
I had heard of the '$500 hammer for years' describing the Pentagon. Today I saw someplace saying '$200 toilet seat' to describe them.

It is truly sad that Americans are being robbed of the bounties of their hard-work, of the lush, productive land, by the oligarchy which controls the Congress. Americans are the hardest working (at least most productive, by a Norwegian study) in the world. Pentagon is a leech!
This is true the Americans realli work hard around the clock but they've ben robbed of their hard earnings and savings by the Pentagon desires and wishes...so sad to see that...:smokin:
 
Most of the money was used for WOT in the last ten years ... Pentagon has achieved what it wanted in most of Middle east ,Afghan , Iraq, Syria, libya, egypt changing regimes , killing leaders those who opposed USA etc etc which we all know.... they have achieved all that they set out to , Now it is time for them to cool off for a while and hence the budget cuts !
 
If you guys think about it
Pentagon spent 1 Trillion USD in war in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001-09
So my guess is that if they move out of Iraq and Afghanistan , then they can easily get away with 1 Trillion USD IN CUTS

But for that USA has to get out of its War mentality
As you must be knowing , since World War II , there has not been a Single decade where USA has not been involved in a conflict

Be it World War II in 1940s
Korean War in 1950s
Vietnam War in 1960s-70s
Supporting Mujaheddin in 1980s
Gulf War I and Serbian Conflict in 1990s
War on Terror since 2001
 
Most of the money was used for WOT in the last ten years ... Pentagon has achieved what it wanted in most of Middle east ,Afghan , Iraq, Syria, libya, egypt changing regimes , killing leaders those who opposed USA etc etc which we all know.... they have achieved all that they set out to , Now it is time for them to cool off for a while and hence the budget cuts !

You missed most important PAKISTAN!
 
But they say there is always an end to a might , like Muslims were a power and then comes the Britishers and then comes Americans. So there is end to everything .

Everything that goes up has to come down , its Natural.So today or tomorrow or day after tomorrow ,a new Power will emerge.

Lets hope that the fall of the power dont cause destruction of humans beings as in WW1 or WW2.
 
Why dont they stop giving aid to Israel and see what happens ina year i reckon that would be a great start. I think charity starts at home. Stop the aid to the Pakistanis - they never even see it because their leaders take it all and reduce their armies EVERYWHERE and guys America would be smiling within 12 months but alas it wont happen!


what a stupid thinking of you, first of all they(americans) are not aiding Pakistan but compensating on war on terror plus its hardly a billion$ per year of which more than 30 to 40% goes to their own institutions as service charges etc.....soo stop thinking that Pakistan is running on there aid and think braod dont think like politicians Pakistan is running through our taxes not their penuts
 
what a stupid thinking of you, first of all they(americans) are not aiding Pakistan but compensating on war on terror plus its hardly a billion$ per year of which more than 30 to 40% goes to their own institutions as service charges etc.....soo stop thinking that Pakistan is running on there aid and think braod dont think like politicians Pakistan is running through our taxes not their penuts

mate, superkaif is right . think about it . they spend a lot on their aid and their programs to prop up economies which are doing badly , though for their own personal gains . also if they are giving a billion plus $ to you in aid then its a lot . after all your entire federal budget is just 32billion $ .
 

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