Outgoing Deputy Defense Secretary Says Service Size and Weapons Programs Must ShrinkOctober 07, 2011
 William Lynn’s final message as the outgoing Deputy Defense Secretary was that the U.S. military will need to be more selective in choosing weapons systems. In a farewell address at Washington’s Center for American Progress, Lynn added that budgetary realities would force a shrinking of the Army and Marine Corps, according to The Hill. With $350 billion in required cuts over the next decade, Lynn said that the Pentagon must make tough decisions on which procurement programs to keep alive. The habit of keeping some exotic weapons programs alive is reckless – “the nice-to-have [programs] must go. We need to make hard decisions now.” He added that things are unlikely to get any better. “If we cannot afford it now, we’re not going to be able to afford it later.” Lynn also said that the U.S. cannot afford to maintain the military’s current size. Instead of focusing on quantity, he said military leaders would be willing to field quality. The Army and the Marines will have to become a “smaller, more agile force.” But as the military cuts its programs, he warned that they must be careful to not repeat previous post-war mistakes, the article noted. In several cases where the military cut programs and slashed the size of its fighting force because of budget cuts, it led to a couple of failed operations. Lynn said that the only way to strengthen the Pentagon in the long term is to bring the country’s finances back to health. |
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