Incapable of defending itself or American troops on the ground
America’s military is being redefined but not by changes in strategy or evolutions of the threats we face. The redefinition is the unplanned result of budgetary constraints and bad choices of weapon systems we spend hundreds of billions of dollars to buy.
The two effects of this redefinition combine to make their sum greater than their parts. First, there are missions our forces are in the process of abandoning because their shrinking size doesn’t allow performance of them. Second, the ability to perform essential missions is being dangerously abandoned in the design of the most expensive weapons we are buying.
For example, the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (the LCS, known in defense circles as the “little crappy ship”) is supposed to operate in shallow coastal waters. But as the Defense Department’s Office of Operational Test and Evaluation said, it’s so lightly armed and armored it won’t survive in combat. Nevertheless, the little crappy ship is still being bought at a cost of about $475 million each.
The worst example is the F-35 joint strike fighter. Purchases of the F-35 fighter aircraft, the most expensive weapon system the Pentagon has ever bought, are being accelerated. It will cost more than $400 billion to buy about 2,500 of them and another $1 trillion to own and operate for the 50 years of their projected life. For that entire time, absorbing a huge chunk of the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps budgets, the F-35 will be the fighter that ate the defense budget.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Its all good. The US has no real enemies anyway - only imaginary ones. The defense department is all about PROFIT for those who are lucky enough to charge high prices for poor quality products.
ReplyDeleteThis is disturbing. If we had an actual commander in chief, he would have turned this situation around immediately. Now on the eve of WWIII I think its a little too late.
ReplyDeleteBribes.
ReplyDeletePayoffs.
Kickbacks.
NO ONE does it better than Congress. Not the Mob, the Russian mafia, or the Mexican drug dealers.
They are rookies compared to the millionaires running the country.
Keep cheering.
If you are entering 1st grade next year you better start learning Chinese. By the time you are 50 you will need to be fluent in Chinese. Also if you are getting ready to go to College now learn Spanish so you will be able to converse with your employees in 10 years.
ReplyDeleteActually if ya'll had any idea about these weapons systems and you enjoy what little freedoms you have left. Then you would understand the need for the jsf. Lots of people have an agenda. The defense of this country against enemies both domestic or foreign and my family's freedom mean a lot more to me then some petty managers or politicians agenda. Educate yourselves for a change.
ReplyDeleteOld news. Think those who love the f22 want more of them. I'll take the 6th gen jsf over our adversaries 5th planes anytime. Dog fights? In this day and age are not going to matter when you can shoot them down over the horizon. Russia and China always build 5 to our 1. Which is irrelevant when you can't keep up the supply of competent pilots.
ReplyDeleteFace it, the fix was in.
ReplyDelete7:07.....What? You got some stock in Boeing? Maybe you missed the part about a FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE MILLION DOLLAR ship being built that doesn't work?? That is STILL being bought by taxpayers?
ReplyDeleteHow about a MILLION dollars for ONE cruise missile??? Off the shelf electronics and a shell with a GPS device? A million dollars apiece? Really?
The taxpayers are getting KILLED a lot more than any of our enemies.
Oh yeah. The $300 screwdriver and the $800 crowbar are still being bought, although the price has probably went up since the last time defense contractors were exposed for ripping us off (sanctioned by, you guessed it --- our "representatives").
Keep cheering.
mclain I usually agree with you but not on this one. Our government is supposed to protect this country and us against our enemies. I would much rather see my tax dollars going for these types of items then obama phones, lesbian weight surveys, welfare queens, etc.
ReplyDeleteAll I'm saying is that we are not winning any battles with a piece of hardware that doesn't work or do it's job. But, because of bribery, kickbacks and payoffs, "we, the people" fund the millionaire lives of our "representatives" (who do YOU think they are "representing???) and their millionaire corporate friends. The taxpayers?? Screw them.
ReplyDeleteSpend on defense --- I'm good with that. But DO NOT enrich yourself on my money and tell me you are "protecting me", when the facts show otherwise.
Welfare for corporate thugs is just as bad (if not much worse) than welfare for the masses.
actually these are jobs programs. otherwise the unemployment rate would be double what it currently is.
ReplyDeleteIt's already double what they SAY it is......
ReplyDeletethen triple it who cares kinda like the national debt or consumer price index. It's whatever number the government decides to make up and run with! aint 'merica great? lol
ReplyDelete