Backtalk: New world, new strategy

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New world, new strategy
By Ralf W. Zimmerman

Ever since Sept. 11, fear has become the driving force in American daily life, with defense lobbyists and government officials ready to provide us security with increasingly excessive budget demands.

This notion is reflected in a recent article by retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, former Army chief of staff and now president of the Association of the U.S. Army, who recommended that America’s defense budget grow “substantially” to allow our leaders to pursue a national strategy without being constrained by a force designed for a world that no longer exists.

The piece doesn’t mention making America’s economy less dependent on other volatile parts of the world for energy and food resources, and it doesn’t mention who will pay the bill.

The thought of unrestrained military spending brings to mind President Eisenhower’s warnings about the dangers related to an unrestrained military-political-industrial complex. As if Ike knew what was coming, former military and defense industry lobbyists have today achieved political influence on national spending rivaled only by those in the pharmaceutical and banking sectors.

Americans would be wise to closely examine the political, economic and diplomatic paths down which the current Cold War leadership generation is leading us. The Defense Department’s 2009 budget is projected at a stunning $706 billion. It consists of $536 billion in basic defense spending, $100 billion in wartime supplements and $70 billion in wartime bridge funding. While Americans are duped with a base budget of merely $536 billion, the supplements and bridge funding grow without taxpayer scrutiny.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/community/opinion/airforce_backtalk_pacific_050508/