Since it's actually a handful of nuts with no real resources at their command, it's a little hard to see why such imagery is appropriate. |
So far the Democrats look like better news for the defense industry than the Republicans, ... I don't see how anyone could disagree. The Democrats are on the record wanting to spend more money than Bush does. The Gore plan envisions spending $10 to $11 billion more a year on defense, whereas the Bush plan sees half as much (of an increase). |
Some things have to be secret. Some things can't be known at the time the question is asked, and if they try to tell you they're not sure, then they are believed to be being evasive. |
Sometimes the U.S. government is its own worst enemy. |
That could be a real stumbling block. |
That is half a dozen years after Donald Rumsfeld deserts the Pentagon. How likely is it this program will still exist? |
The administration is determined to use the need for budget cuts to enforce its investment priorities. |
The Army is doing most of the fighting in a very unpopular war. That means no amount of money is going to make recruiting an easy job. |
The barriers to entry in defense are created not so much by capital requirements as the government's regulatory regime. There are so many compliance requirements and rules that it's just difficult for small companies to shoulder the administrative burden. It's hard to even have the expertise to know when you're in compliance with the rules. |
The big question going forward is how intensive the military commitment to Iraq remains. If it stays at current levels, then the Army is facing a recruiting challenge every month for years to come. |
The bottom line is the big defense spending increases that followed 9/11 are over. |
The British are going to spend billions on this, and they're concerned they won't really understand the technology of what they're buying. They don't want to be treated like a Third World arms dealer. They're saying, ' If you can't trust us, how can we trust you? |
The crux of this issue is that the Marine force really isn't very well designed for the type of fight it's facing in Iraq. |
The entire Marine force was designed around the concept of amphibious warfare, which is a good deal different from the kind of conflict they're fighting in Iraq today, hundreds of miles from the sea. The Marines are a light force; they kick in the door but they are not supposed to occupy all the rooms. |
The good news is that this group of commissioners is very capable and more than willing to contradict the Pentagon. However, there just isn't a very convincing case for having an electronics command at Fort Monmouth. |