The Pentagon in size costs

The Pentagon is cutting its costs and weapons programs to slow the growth of its budget over five years and, under pressure from the White House will spend 78 billion dollars of savings to reduce the budget deficit. "The Pentagon can not believe the difference in monitoring and pressure that the rest of government has been," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates during a press conference.

These savings are painful but "the country's desperate fiscal situation and the threat it poses to the credibility and influence of America in the world will only worsen as the Federal Government will not put its fiscal house in order, "he justified. Unlike most European countries that reduce their military budgets to cope with the crisis, the U.S.

defense budget, which has more than doubled since 2001, will continue to increase. At a slower pace. During fiscal years 2012 to 2016, 154 billion dollars will be saved through restructuring or abandonment of weapons programs and lower operating costs. Among the programs are referred to abandon the project of future armored amphibious assault vehicle Marines began some twenty years or putting "under surveillance" for two years in the development phase of the version of the future aircraft F-35 fighter for the marines.

Lower costs will mean a wage freeze for civilians working on defense, the decline in general or even increased retiree contributions to the system of military health insurance (Tricare). Some 24 billion in additional savings to be made taking into account economic forecasts more pessimistic than in the past and the future reduction of staff in the Army and Marines: Once combat operations ended in Afghanistan 2014, both services will be made to the plan: the army will lose 27,000 of its 569,000 men and marines between 15 and 20 000 men on 202 000.

If the project is completed, it will be the first decline in enrollment in these services since September 11. Robert Gates, Republican member of Team Obama, had warned in recent months he had savings and redirect all the money saved in other programs. His goal was to maintain a goal of real growth in the defense budget of around 3% per year, according to him necessary to maintain the status of forces and further modernize the army.

But he had to deal with the White House: if 100 billion dollars saved will be reinvested in many other Pentagon programs, 78 billion will be used to participate in the government's effort to reduce the mammoth budget deficit. Republican Senator John McCain welcomed the measures announced, but ruled that the full savings would be "reinvested".

"I'm not satisfied," said Howard McKeon, chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives, stressing that the cuts were much more dramatic than expected. The Pentagon 2011 budget passed by Congress in December stood at 548.2 billion dollars, not counting the 158.7 billion to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The proposed base budget for 2012 amounts to 553 billion, or 13 less than what was previously expected.

• Gates to find $78 bln more in Pentagon cuts-lawmaker - Reuters (06/01/2011)
• Was ex-Pentagon staffer killed because of feud with neighbor? (05/01/2011)
• Our Desperate, 250-Year-Long Search for a Gender-Neutral Pronoun (06/01/2011)
• Gates to find $78 bln more in Pentagon cuts-lawmaker (06/01/2011)
• Pentagon Plans a Rarity: No More Budget Increases (06/01/2011)