That old Democrat saw....
Costs Could Force Troop Cuts
June 25, 2009
The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel said Wednesday that the services are likely to have to shed personnel starting in 2013, given the increasing costs of equipment and other programs the Pentagon needs to win future fights.
Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., told reporters at a wide-ranging breakfast meeting in Washington that the Army’s chief of staff, Gen. George Casey, and Pentagon chief Robert Gates wanted to increase end strength for two years to stabilize a force stretched by frequent deployments with little time home for training and family life.
He said the two-year reprieve would be needed to eliminate the practice of “stop-loss,” in which service members are kept n the military beyond their contracted enlistment.
“Personnel costs are so high we have to cut back on personnel. You can’t cut the budget anyplace else,” Murtha said. “We’ve got to cut back on personnel, and at some point we will.”
Full story
No comments:
Post a Comment