So...how much will be cut from the Department of Defense??

[progressoid]

I know. What a crazy thought.

A quick Google search for 'Defense cuts' gave some interesting results. Here's the top search result.

Netherlands Announces Deep Military Cuts To Balance Budget

AMSTERDAM (Dow Jones)--The Netherlands will cut thousands of defense jobs and scrap a significant chunk of military equipment under a restructuring that should help restore public finances, the Dutch government said Friday.

Under the revamp, the Netherlands will cut 12,000 military jobs, about 17% of its total staff, and retire 19 F-16 fighter jets, four minesweepers and two tank battalions. It will also cut spending on new Joint Strike Fighter jets that are currently developed by Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT). The budget for these aircraft will be cut by EUR1.7 billion to EUR4.5 billion.

The measures should result in EUR1 billion in savings by 2014, the Dutch government said in a statement Friday.

...

The overhaul comes as many European governments are slashing defense spending to balance their budgets. The U.K. government in October announced an 8% cut in its military budget.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110408-709719.html

[Donnachaidh]

1. Doesn't Ryan's budget call for increases in military while kicking the poor to the curb?

I wonder how many warmongering lobbyists are offering to pay for Ryan's future presidential runs?

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[mzteris]

3. just saw this in another thread...

2.) $3B IN PENTAGON SAVINGS -- WE PROVED DoD WASTE SHOULD NOT BE SPARED. We won the argument that waste at the Pentagon should not be immune from spending cuts. The final agreement eliminates nearly $3 billion in unnecessary Pentagon spending that was contained in H.R. 1. These reductions are supported by Secretary Gates.

[progressoid]

7. Wow

That's almost a 0.003% cut!

How will we manage to stay safe? :scared:

[Lasher]

11. It's a shell game, not a cut.

They pull this shit all the time. Money is just moved somewhere else in the defense budget, never returned to the treasury. Despite press releases like this one, the overall defense budget increases every year, having doubled in the past decade.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=130702#131084

[OHdem10]

4. Don'cha know this aint no social Democracy. Welcome to

Right Wing America where both parties exempt Defense
the Rich, Big Busines and Financial Industry from
Budget matters. Sarcasm

[Kber]

5. About 3 billion or just under 10% of the total

"The rest would come from so-called discretionary spending, including a cut of $3 billion from defense programs, according to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Mike Rogers."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/09/usa-budget-idUSN0727284120110409

[Mulhane]

6. Cut from

Vet benefits and retraining, no doubt.

[progressoid]

8. 10% of the cuts. But 0.003% of the 2012 Defense Budget

Budget Breakdown for 2012 Defense related expenditure

DOD spending $707.5 billion - Base budget + "Overseas Contingency Operations"
FBI counter-terrorism $2.7 billion - At least one-third FBI budget.
International Affairs $5.6–$63.0 billion - At minimum, foreign arms sales. At most, entire State budget
Energy Department, defense-related $21.8 billion
Veterans Affairs $70.0 billion
Homeland Security $46.9 billion
NASA, satellites $3.5–$8.7 billion - Between 20% and 50% of NASA's total budget
Veterans pensions $54.6 billion
Other defense-related mandatory spending $8.2 billion
Interest on debt incurred in past wars $109.1–$431.5 billion - Between 23% and 91% of total interest

Total Spending $1.030–$1.415 trillion

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[littlewolf]

10. actually congress critters vote for alot of things the

DoD doesn't need or want and the DoD tells em that ....
cuz it is made in that congress critters district .... bacon ya know ... bringing home the bacon ....

[WatsonT]

12. Well fortunately whenever they decide to intervene in another country

they know that the US will foot almost the entire bill. Like in Libya.

We are the worlds biggest suckers. Europe is balancing their budgets using our military spending.

[littlewolf]

13. they have for years ....

Germans for the most part have a very small defense budget until recently ... the US / Nato
was most of EU defense .... that has to change ....

[WatsonT]

15. Yep

no reason for us to shoulder nearly 100% of this burden.

[emulatorloo]

14. Pretty sure I read Dems got Deeper cuts in Defense than Boehner wanted