You have to wonder WHY all the so-called budget cuts are effecting only the ‘boots on the ground’ and not the bloater buracracy in DC…

SAC MEANWHILE APPROVED ITS FISCAL 2012 DOD SPENDING BILL. Among the $26 billion in cuts to Obama’s request are reductions in the Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle program, cancellation of the Defense Weather Satellite System and termination of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program. See a summary of the bill here: http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news.cfm?method=news.view&id=ac72ee37-9641-4e7a-8f72-3031e55ac730

Improving Fiscal Accountability

The defense appropriations bill complies with the security spending reductions

directed in the Budget Control Act of 2011. To meet the spending allocation,

the bill

proposes 580 reductions to programs requested in the budget

. These cuts are made as

a result of program terminations or delays, changes to policies or programs since

submission of the budget in February 2011, inadequate justification,

The following are examples of some of the bill’s major reductions:



Joint Strike Fighter – Freezes production at FY 2011 levels for FY 2012 and

reduces production ramp in FY 2013 to minimize concurrency in test and

production in order to avoid costly modification bills in the future.



Joint Light Tactical Vehicle http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/peolandsystems/jltv.aspx – Terminates the program based on excessive cost

growth, unstable requirements, and new alternatives. Savings from this program

help support Army and Marine Corps efforts to recapitalize and competitively

upgrade HMMWV fleets.



Ground Combat Vehicle http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7425569 – Proposes reductions to the Army Ground Combat

Vehicle due to schedule delays and changes to the acquisition strategy.



Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS) – Directs the cancellation of DWSS

and provides funds for a new competitive development program.



Mobile Landing Platform http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/The-US-Navys-Mobile-Landing-Platform-Ships-06525/ – Eliminates funding for one ship due to the

congressional acceleration of one ship in fiscal year 2011.



Joint Tactical Radio Systems http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/ic/jtrs/ – Reduces funding for the Ground Mobile Radio,

the Manpack Radio, and the Airborne/Maritime Fixed Radio due to delayed

production decisions, and eliminates increases for premature Manpack capability

enhancements.



Theater High Altitude Area Defense http://www.defense.gov/specials/missiledefense/tmd-thaad.html – Reduces funding for interceptors that

cannot be produced in FY2012.



Double-Funding of Congressional Initiatives – Eliminates requests for battle

losses of aircraft and other equipment which were funded by Congress in

Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2011, but were also included in the

Administration’s 2012 budget.



Rescissions – Cuts $2.7 billion in prior year funds that are excess to defense needs

due to program terminations, schedule delays, or contract savings.



Funding Identified as Excess – The Department of Defense identified billions of dollars in the request that are no longer required in FY2012.