Military life is full of things we can’t control — the latest of which is the defense cut battle on Capitol Hill. The Pentagon has to axe at least $450 billion over the next ten years, and is facing some tough decisions while getting ready to do so. What should get the first look? Super pricey retiree benefits? Military family perks? Weapons systems that may or may not be needed? Military personnel based in Europe?
I’m sure if I was President for a day I could have all of this ironed out pronto. … or not.
As if just to emphasize how hard this, the New York Times has a fun defense strategy widget that lets you choose from a menu of items to cut. The options range from benefits to weapons to personnel.
You’ll note the absence of a few options you and I might consider no-brainers (for example, reducing the recreation programs or base hourly childcare budget — both things I love but are not necessary).There are also a few things that seem to make perfect sense based on their description, but really aren’t what they seem (example: combining the commissary and exchange systems, which we’ve talked about in the past).
Like Rebekah Sanderlin over at Operation Marriage, I felt pretty bad about the stuff that I decided to get rid of. And I’m sure my choices reflect my personal bias as an active duty family member. But nonetheless, faced with only the options on this sheet (and my limited knowledge of a lot of the weapon and defense systems), here is my personal defense cuts tally and what it would save over ten years (according to the New York Times):
Option Savings
Raise Tricare drug co-pays $26 billion
Exclude military retirees from Tricare Prime $105 billion
Freeze for 3 years salaries of Pentagon civilian employees $15.5 billion
Cut Pentagon civilian workforce by 20 percent $73 billion
Replace F-35 Joint Strike Fight with F-16s and F/A-18s $48 billion
Reduce Navy Ship Buying $55 billion
Cancel the Air Force’s Next Gen Bomber $38 billion
Reduce military presence in Europe/Asia $69.5 billion
Reduce Defense Department travel costs $14 billion
Standardize spending on base support $20 billion
Audit the Pentagon $25 billion
I beg you, don’t judge me for my choices — but instead go and make your own. Make sure you click “submit plan” at the end so you can see what others have chosen.
And when you’re done — come back here and discuss. What should’ve been in the options that wasn’t? Are you surprised by any of the choices other have made?
P.S. My husband just glanced over my shoulder, saw what I chose and said “I hate your choices.” So if you do judge me, you’ll be in good company.
About Amy Bushatz
Comments
Hi Amy!
Love the way you write! Here is my 2 cents. I'd rather the government make cuts in spending that is not supported by The Constitution before going after the few things the Federal government IS supposed to pay for. Once that is done, then make cuts…..after wasteful and double spending is already been sorted.
i would start by putting anything to do with the Retirees off limits, from raising Tricare or co-pay on medications. I have done my time and I believe IMHO that we should be left alone….
I will probably upset a lot of active duty people with this next one, but hey it is my opinion. I would start charging all active duty members for Tricare\. They could use the same rate as they do for the retirees.
I would freeze all civilian pay raises for the next 3 years.
I would reduce Congress/Senate members pay by 20%. They expect us to live on our salary, let them take a cut in their pay.
Savings, Yes there would be a lot. Upset people oh yes… But hey who cares, it's only a hypothetical list..
I don’t understand why the DOD has to make such drastic budget cuts to balance a budget. Personally I think the DOS should Have some cuts and reorganization, especially in the forgien aid department.
I have to agree that we make other cuts before Defense Cuts. Sending free money to countries who don't like us or don't really need it, seems ridiculous. America first policy!
As a US Navy veteran (1982-1988 as a Storekeeper); I agree with the comments that have been made so far and agree that non-defense spending needs to be cut FIRST!!
Richard
The first and foremost place to cut Money from is Foreign Aid especially to the countries that use the money we give them against us. Let's take all that money and make the United States a Better country and leave the Military alone except for some of the items that seem to double and triple in cost when we dish out a Govt. contact on a specific item.
To be real, it has to be:
1) exclude reitrees from tricare
2) close all of medicare, and
3) raise the co-pays for Drugs
…
and cut the next gen bomber
How's that for scythe swiping?!
Okay I have had this figured out for quite some time, and there wouldn't have to be any cuts to the military. Matter of fact they could possibly get raises! If you charge all (not just Hispanics) illegal aliens $10 a month to live in this country (according to the US Government we have appx. 14 million), they can work and pay taxes just like all of us do. In 1 year that's $1,580,000,000, multiply that by a 10 year plan and you end up with $15, 800, 000, 000. What do you all think?
Charleen, that is the best idea, but unfortunately, our government won't do it, because it makes too much sense. I think we should cut aid to those who live off of "the system" before we ask the ones brave enough to serve to sacrifice anything. How is it that only half of the people in this country pay taxes? That means half of us who work are footing the bill for the other half who will work the system and probably never have an honest job. We need to stop supporting other countries who hate us and those who are too lazy to work. I don't mind helping those who choose to help themselves, but the slackers who use their brains and time trying to scam the system shouldn't be living better for free than the service members who risk and sometimes give all, all while being separated from their families for at least six months at a time. DOD Shouldn't receive a single cut, except the politicians' pay, until every other department has been thinned out!
I would Cut Pentagon Civilian work force and freeze their salaries for 3 years.
Kelly, the biggest problem I see with making active duty families pay more for Tricare (vs. retirees) is that retirees FREQUENTLY have other jobs, whereas active duty folks don't usually have other jobs and often their spouses have great difficulty finding jobs or advancing in their careers due to the frequent moves. The result is that household income for retirees is usually significantly higher than in active duty homes until the household actually stops working, by which time Medicare has often kicked in to help defray medical costs.
Retirees must be off limits, it is bad enough that everything has changed compared to what you were promised when you went in(60' in my situation. Now being a military widow, it is hard financially and I do not need anyone messing with my health insurance any more than it has been.
Feel free to cut nothing. There are about a million other places to cut and when you pick a fight with pretty much the whole world you need some pretty big guns. Don't mess with old people, military or civilian, we made promises our country should keep, at least for appearances sake if nothing else. There a millions of illegals, find a way to charge them, billions of dollars in aid to country that specifically go against our rules for aid, billions of dollars in buerocracy, congress could forfeit their retirement, the president could refuse pay, there are so many things we could do to avoid flushing our country down the toilet but we inset on self distraction. The climate is, the military doesn't deserve what they've been given, they're the obvious choice for deep cuts. Or not, lack of perspetive, lack of history knowledge and selfish mindsets got us to this ugly place. Very very sad.
Simple: Cut the billions of dollars in aid to other countries especially pakistan. If we cannot support our own then why should we support other countries? We giving out money that we apparently dont have. We assist these countries and we will soon be the third world country. We should not make any cuts to the defense budget, that is the foundation of our freedom. We must continue to research and produce in order to be ahead of other countries not take a step back or stand still while others move into the future. We cannot afford to lose our military superiority. SO JUST CUT THE BILLONS OF DOLLARS IN AID TO OTHER COUNTRIES AND LETS WORRY ABOUT OUR OWN PEOPLE!!
I got to 97% of the goal and stayed with that because I know that other 3% is easy to come up with through the many items (as you note) that weren't listed but could have been, including consolidation of some HQs. My only real complaint about your choices is one that down the road you will likely feel different about…Excluding retirees from TriCare Prime. For many of us, when we joined we were actually promised time and again that we would have free healthcare for life. Obviously that changed, as so many promises made to us during the 70s and 80s were.
So, we have to pay for what was supposed to be a guarantee and we do it but now they want to taken even that away from us. I've been wondering if it would be possible to put together a class action law suit and sue the military for breach of promise to so many of us.
Fortunately for all, I am NOT in charge! So, my cuts don't have anything to do with reality. And all the people said "amen."
First off, I am retired ARMY E-7 and it seems like everything GOV'T does hits me. Let all officers and enlisted above E-5 pay for tricare. Give congress/senate a 10% reduction in pay and freeze their salaries until they listen to the people or come up with something acceptable. Also stopping the obamas from their lavish parties wouldn't hurt.
A suggestion my husband told me would be to get rid of all the security guards at all the military installations. Either the MP's do the security at the gates or have the soldiers do a rotation as a security guard like they pull CQ or staff duty. According to him this would save millions of dollars a year.
It really irritates me that the military is always where they to make cuts. When our military members signed on the dotted line, they were promised specific benefits. Everytime our government overspends by helping other countries out or giving themselves raises, they want to cut things that have been promised to the military members. Why don't they take a 3 year salary freeze or maybe even a salary cut? We never see Congress, the Senate or the President take any cut in their benefits! Do they ever lay their life on the line for our country? NO! Sorry, I'll get off of my soap box now. Just blowing a little steam.
If I keep taking pay cuts and benefit cuts, then so does the Senate, House, Congress, etc. Stop targetting me because then I'll just target you in elections and opinion polls. All Government, federal employees, military should all take proportional pay cuts. You cut one, you cut all of them gall darnit!! It sucks to keep sacrificing mine when all comparable gov forces don't get jack cut or taken from them. Is it normal to feel targeted for this type of thing??
When asked what spending I would cut, I think back to when my husband (now a disabled Veteran) was in the US Army (Honorable discharge in 1980). My husband was assigned to work in some warehouse (kind of like shipping and receiving) for a few months for light duty. He told me that they received boxes of nails (if you go to Menards or Home Depot today, you would pay about $15 to $20 for the same size box, back in 1979 or 1980 you would have paid $5),and the invoice said $100 per box.
In todays market that would be $300 to $400 per box.
Cut the high spending for supplies. Why pay $100 per box of nails when you could get the same size box for $5? I believe the suppliers are taking the government for a ride, this should be checked into!