Author Topic: Yes Boys and Girls, you can cut the Defense Budget and not hurt readiness.  (Read 3587 times)

Scout26

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I personally would start with a 20% reduction in headcount at the Puzzle Palace and in Headquarters units (HHD, HHB*, HHC, and "Special Troops" Battalions).   Less needless tail, more tooth.   

http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/budget-appropriations/324163-think-tank-proposes-sequester-level-defense-cuts



* - No, not just Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, but now Headquarters and Headquarters BATTALION.  WTF. 
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roo_ster

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scout26:

That is what they are working.  Going from ~45 BCTs to ~33 BCTs...with the roughly the same number of combat BNs at the end of the day.  Losing ~12 BGDE's worth of HQ & log bubbas.  Moving sustainment orgs into the NG. 

The remaining BGDEs will be bigger & badder, averaging one more combat BN per.  Also, some beefy R&S units are to be stood up in the reshuffling, the kind that can truly fight for intel.  The fewer BCTs does mean that we are limited as to the area in total that they can cover and means that we are going from being able to conduct 1.5 major operations down to 1 major operation.

To sum up: similar "combat power," but not able to cover as much area with ~33BCTs as they did with ~45BCTs.


Regards,

roo_ster

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HankB

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I often wonder how the ratio of enlisted men to general officers compares to the ratio we had when we were winning WWII . . .
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Blakenzy

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Now that dear government has got Al Qaeda ground forces fighting wars for it in Libya, now Syria, I think that the defense budget can be cut a little. You still have to surrender your Constitutional Rights to DHS though...  =D
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French G.

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I often wonder how the ratio of enlisted men to general officers compares to the ratio we had when we were winning WWII . . .

Roughly? Today 1.4 million Active duty, 800K Reserves. End of WWII 12 million in uniform. Pretty much the same number of flag officers then and now.
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Fitz

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There can be (and as rooster mentioned, it's happening) some SIGNIFICANT cuts made without hurting readiness.

But that doesn't grab headlines the way "ZOMG THE TROOPS WONT GET PAID THIS MONTH" does.

I, for one, would be all about trimming a ton of excess fat. To include my own unit. Although I love it, everything it does can be done elsewhere, and IS done elsewhere.


But then again, we don't need to, since it's being turned back into an engineer battalion from a "special troops battalion" Which means instead of small hodgepodges of people, we'll have a battalion with one mission.
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RevDisk

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Concur with rooster and Fitz. There is plenty of fat that can be chopped, with no combat readiness loss. If it is properly implemented, I will die of shock.
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Hutch

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Concur with rooster and Fitz. There is plenty of fat that can be chopped, with no combat readiness loss. If it is properly implemented, I will die of shock.
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roo_ster

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Concur with rooster and Fitz. There is plenty of fat that can be chopped, with no combat readiness loss. If it is properly implemented, I will die of shock.

Well, the plans thus far look much better than one could hope for.  Implementation has yet to occur, so you have a reprieve.
Regards,

roo_ster

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MicroBalrog

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And if you did hurt readiness, readiness is not everything.
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seeker_two

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Re: Yes Boys and Girls, you can cut the Defense Budget and not hurt readiness.
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2013, 02:42:57 PM »
Best way to save money is to spend wisely.....
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MechAg94

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Re: Yes Boys and Girls, you can cut the Defense Budget and not hurt readiness.
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2013, 11:49:11 PM »
The federal budget has gotten so bloated over the last 15 years, I doubt there is any budget section that couldn't use some cuts.  Yes, social security also.  Anyone looked lately at how much money it gets versus how much is paid out? 
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just Warren

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Re: Yes Boys and Girls, you can cut the Defense Budget and not hurt readiness.
« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2013, 12:21:52 AM »
You might be able to make a pile of money selling slightly-used Bradleys to other countries.*



That should offset the budget cuts a bit.








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lupinus

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Re: Yes Boys and Girls, you can cut the Defense Budget and not hurt readiness.
« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2013, 08:01:03 AM »
You might be able to make a pile of money selling slightly-used Bradleys to other countries.*

That should offset the budget cuts a bit.

*All vehicles "as-is", no warranty implied or given, cash or drugs only in exchange, no returns. 
Screw that. Surplus them babies out to used car lots across the land along with other fun toys. That'd stimulate the economy right up. At least I'd find it stimulating.
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seeker_two

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Re: Yes Boys and Girls, you can cut the Defense Budget and not hurt readiness.
« Reply #14 on: September 29, 2013, 01:10:38 PM »
Screw that. Surplus them babies out to used car lots across the land along with other fun toys. That'd stimulate the economy right up. At least I'd find it stimulating.

You say that now...but wait until the soccer moms with their cell phones & makeup mirrors trade in their Suburbans for them....

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