ENGLISH FOR SENATE POSITION PAPER ON:
Military Restructuring
The United States now spends more on its military than all of the rest
of the world's nations combined. Much of this expenditure is
sheer waste. Consider the fact that fifteen years after the end
of the cold war, there are still a dozen or more aircraft carrier
battle groups in service at a cost of tens of billions of dollars
annually. Or, that a single new fighter aircraft costs about $350
million each. Purchasing six of these aircraft costs as much as
the yearly operating budget for the entire public school system of
Montgomery County, the state's most populated county with 975,000
residents. Aircraft carriers are useless in the current Iraqi
situation and would be at great risk in any new confrontation in the
Gulf area because new supersonic air to surface, surface to missles,
and high speed torpedos now exist. During the first Gulf war over
a decade ago, the Navy was even then concerned about these hazards and
kept the carriers well away from land.
Because of the failure of military interventions such in Vietnam and
now Iraq, the United States now needs to assess its self-appointed role
as the protector of the seas and world's policeman. England had
to withdraw from East of Suex and later from East of Gibraltar after
the Second World War. It is now time for the United States to
withdraw all combat and combat support forces from East of Iceland and
West of Guam. Our allies in Western Europe the Pacific have
sufficient resources and potential military capabilities to insure
their own
national security. The presence of U. S.bases and forces in
Europe,
Korea, Okinawa, and Japan is no longer needed and is becoming an
increasing source of resentment and hostility toward the United
States in these countries. The use of bases in these countries to
project American military power in the Middle East and elsewhere also
has become very controversial within these countries. It is only
a matter of time before the U. S. is disinvited and forced to withdraw
back to its own territory: it should do so now by making a
gracious exit after reaching agreements with host countries regarding
maintaining existing bases in a standby status under host nation
control. Pre-positioned supplies of consumables with stocks of
heavy equipment
and weapons ahould be kept and maintained on-site and in storage at
these bases in case of need during the unforseeable future.
Significant reductions in manpower and the number of active duty combat
units
should gradually occur with major unit transfers to strengthened
reserve and
National Guard units. Several surplus Navy carrier battle groups
and Air Force air wings with supporting equipment should be transferred
at no
cost to our Western European and Pacific allies to require them to
assume the future financial burden and responsiblity for their own
defense. Separated military personnel with more than ten years
accumulated service should be offered fully paid public service jobs
with benefits at their present military pay grades until they complete
their twenty year service eligibility for military pensions.
Public service jobs for separated personnel would include fully
Federally subsidized employment as teacher's aides, health clinic
workers, and other job categories with requesting local and state
government agencies in poorer jurisdictions. Surplus
military bases inside the United States should be converted, stocked
with consumables, and maintained as emergency evacuation centers for
future natural disasters such as hurricanes and major earthquakes.
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Designed by Imad-ad-Dean,
Inc.