Budget Hearings: The Week Ahead

Budget Hearings: The Week Ahead

By Colin Clark Sunday, February 27th, 2011 8:24 pm
Posted in Air, International, Land, Naval, Policy

As congressional staff continue to pour through the budget documents as they roll in from the Pentagon, we are entering the beginning of the detailed hearings on the services, agencies and their budget requests.

On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee hosts Gen. James Mattis, head of Central Command, and Adm. Eric Olson, head of Special Operations Command. Expect questions about how rapidly and effectively the ISAF training of Afghan national forces is progressing, a key concern of SASC Chairman Sen. Carl Levin. Half an hour after the SASC gets rolling, the House Armed Services Committee will hold its Navy posture hearing.  Expect Chairman Buck McKeon to grill the Navy about its course ahead on the Marines Expeditionary Fighting vehicle and its replacement. Questions are also likely about the SSBN-X and just how the Navy will pay for it and what tradeoffs the service may make as it.tries to contain costs.

Other issues likely to be raised: just how a Continuing Resolution will affect the service; Marine Corps end-strength and force structure assessment; implications of scratching a carrier air-wing; sea-based missile defense requirements; Mayport carrier move; just what exactly “probation” means for the F-35B; and — maybe — the F136 engine for Joint Strike Fighter.


On Thursday, the SASC will mull the nomination of Army Gen. Martin Dempsey to serve as Army Chief of Staff. Given Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ speech at West Point and lawmakers worries about coming personnel reductions, Dempsey is sure to get questions how the Army should restructure and train for the future.

Join the Conversation

Sarah February 28th, 2011 at 5:06 am

For obama, major defence cuts serve two purposes. First, they free up funds for things important to him – such as growing the welfare state. Secondly, the cuts reduce the role of America in the world and limits America’s ability to combat threats to allies and vital interests which facilitates his anti-colonial anti-American Leftist worldview that America is basically a negative force in the world for its opposition to “progressive” movements. 
 
Obama’s proposed cuts need to be seen as what they truly are. It’s not about controlling spending—it’s about minimizing the role of America in the world

Joe February 28th, 2011 at 5:08 am

Obama best friend communist china ever had.

Thank you Obama for cutting america down so china not have too

Araya February 28th, 2011 at 9:18 am

Sorry but in this moment the best friend of red China is the tea party! The tea Party will cut deeper them Obama the will withdraw the most troops from the World and cut the US Military to the Level of a regional Power. The Tea Party is Obama and his progressive Friends like Barney Frank best ally.

bill February 28th, 2011 at 10:01 am

don’t blame the Tea Party:

An analysis of the voting patterns on those 13 votes found that the Freshmen were not the ones leading the charge to cut defense within the GOP. There were just 14 Republicans willing to cut defense more than 50% of the time and only one was a Freshmen. Of the 29 Republicans who voted to protect defense less than 65% of the time, only six were Freshmen.

On the other end of the spectrum, there were 78 Republicans who opposed amendments to cut defense 100% of the time and another 47 who did so at least 92% of the time. In total 41 Freshmen were a part of these two groups, nearly half of their entire class. Clearly, it is too soon to say the Freshmen are leading the charge to cut defense.

The Heritage analysis comes as defense boosters fret that “Tea Partiers” and antiwar liberal lawmakers could unite in one of those strange-bedfellow alliances possible only in Washington to cut deeply into Pentagon accounts. The Aerospace Industries Association and others have been working hard to “educate” freshmen and other deficit hawks against such measures, but concern lingers.

In fact, Republican and Democratic lawmakers across Capitol Hill continue to trade barbs and proposals ahead of a potential federal government “shutdown” as early as March 5 when the current CR runs out. Today House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) unveiled a new short-term continuing resolution (CR) that would cut $4 billion via terminations and cuts President Barack Obama called for in his 2012 budget request earlier this month, as well as zeroing out earmarks that had previously been funded – presumably including the General Electric-Rolls Royce F136 alternate engine for the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter.

Although national security, air traffic control and several other federal functions would be continued even without congressionally appropriated funds, the fate of future security programs remains too up in the air for many defense supporters. We may know how successful they were in pushing their case by the end of next week.

BOOMER February 28th, 2011 at 10:01 am

This is all just an attention grabber to take away from other issues, Yeah its an issue but not as big a one as the ones they dont want to engage in such as SS could be saved simply by only giving it to US citizens who have paid in a min of 20 yrs and no one else. If they want to cancel anything then cancel the most abused system in the US which is welfare and food stamps. Then they need to stop funding special education for illegals and immigrants– if they cant speak the language then they cant go to school and if they are illegal then they really should not be in our schools. Stop spending taxpayers funds on BS court cases — I dont know why it is so hard for the courts to decide what the second ammendment means when all you have to do is read the transcripts of the Virginia convention at which time George Mason (the co founder of the 2nd) CONTINUED BELOW;

BOOMER February 28th, 2011 at 10:13 am

CONTINUED: was asked for the meaning of the militia and he answered the “IT IS THE WHOLE PEOPLE. TO DISARM THE PEOPLE IS THE BEST AND MOST EFFECTUAL WAY TO ENSLAVE THEM.”. Another tax funded case is birth rughts of illegals — US laws already specify that the only way for children of illegals and immigrants to attain automatic citizenship is for thier parents to become citizens before the child reaches the age of 18 otherwise the child must attain thier own citizenship. These minor changes would cut more waistful spending out of the budget than anything anyone in washington has yet to propose.

Araya February 28th, 2011 at 10:36 am

The problem is the simple fact that Ron Paul (one of the greatest idiots what I have ever seen) is one of the most influential Person in the Tea Party and many Tea Baggers are not better them Ron Paul and his Son our the communist bastards like Barney Frank ! And many good GOPs like John McCain and Lindsey Graham has told the Press that the Isolationism trend has get really strong in the GOP.

For Example the Tea Baggers and his Progressive ally has kill the F136 engine and cut 16 Billion from the DOD FY2011 request this are all simple facts and this is just the beginning of a great disaster who will take the USA there supremacy and make Red China the World Power Number One and the Tea Party is the main culprit.

I fear the tea party will finished what the progressive always dreamed!

I really hope I am wrong!

Anonymous February 28th, 2011 at 11:45 am

Hey Boomer, Ratchet down your rhetoric. You sound like you should be on a talk show.…… This is a DoD Acquisition Blog.

Maybe you should read what’s on the Statue of Liberty again. You seem to have forgotten what THIS country was founded on.

BOOMER February 28th, 2011 at 12:12 pm

Yeah I know what kind of sight this is and I know they are attacking the DoD as usual instead of what is truly wrong, mostly because of people toning down thier rhetoric instead of speaking out against all the waistful spending and scocializing programs. And as far as immigrants go we set up a system for them to come here legaly and become citizens — any that do otherwise I see as I would any univited invader, as they are not US citizens they therefore have no rights under the constitution or deserve any bennefits of it’s lawful citizens. Acknowledgeing such would save taxpayers billions ecery year instead of costing.

Taxpayer February 28th, 2011 at 3:31 pm

(1) Sarah, what makes you believe the Pentagon is not a permanent welfare queen? We didn’t fully demobilize after WW2, keeping a large standing army and navy to protect us from the now non-existent Communists.
(2) Joe, every time you shop at Walmart, you drag America down and China up.
(3) Bill et al, the F136 second engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) was never in the president’s budget request. It was a proposed Congressional add. So cutting it doesn’t really save anything.

Adam February 28th, 2011 at 9:35 pm

Here’s an idea that’s worth putting out there. one of the biggest wastes of defense funding annually is the cost of moving those in the military around every 2, 3 or 4 years. I have done the math quickly and on an average:

average cost to move a military member varies anywhere between $15,000 and $75,000 depending on number of dependents, where they are moving to and moving company costs/vehicle transport. I know for sure it costs $1,100 to ship a vehicle from Baltimore to England but that was 2002. Anyways, take the average of $50,000 and multiply by how many members PCS in a year. I went VARY low and said 5,000 x $50,000=$250,000,000/year. Yes, $250 million and that’s a low number.

Makes ya think doesn’t it. No take into consideration those that have to move due to humanitarian reasons and the year long tours, these would need to be worked out but the rest..what’s wrong with staying put for the next 5 or so years? At this point, if we are all going to be taking cuts to help the deficit then sacrifices or a little common sense needs to be put into the thought process. Big picture everybody and a little out of the box.

Taxpayer March 1st, 2011 at 12:16 am

Adam, Your guesstimate is a little low. Permanent Change of Station (rotational travel) can be found in the Pentagon budget books at: http://​comptroller​.defense​.gov/​B​u​d​g​e​t​2​0​1​2​.​h​tml. Just one kind of travel, rotational travel is $1.68 billion ($700 million Air Force; $380 million Navy; $110 million Marines; and $488 million Air Force).

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