Pentagon plans to streamline budget, operations

Pentagon plans to streamline budget, operations

A plan for $78 billion in budget cuts and downsizing of Army and Marine Corps troops was announced by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday. Gates also said that the Navy, Army and the Air Force had a combined $100 billion in savings which the department will use to modernize U.S. forces through 2015 in time for the scheduled withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"These reform efforts, followed through to completion, will make it possible to protect the U.S. military's size, reach and fighting strength despite a declining rate of growth and eventual flattening of the defense budget over the next five years," Gates said in a statement.

The size of the Army will be cut 4 percent and 27,000 personnel will be let go. The Marine Corps will shed 10 percent of its force, affecting between 15,000 and 20,000 soldiers. An earlier cut of 22,000 will bring the total to 49,000 less personnel.

Gates said that the cuts were needed not only to save money but to make the Defense Department "less cumbersome, less top heavy and more agile and effective". He and Joints Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen allayed fears that the budget cuts will weaken the U.S. military and jeopardize the lives of American personnel in combat.

Under the plan, the savings will be kept by the Pentagon and be used in other areas of interest such as resumption of development of a new long-range bomber and the purchase of aerial drones. Funds can also be reallocated to upgrading of tanks and substance abuse counselling for U.S. troops.

Posted by James Fried on Friday January 07 2011, 1:59 AM EDT. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0