laststandonzombieisland

The DOD released its 16-page report on “Defense Budget Priorities” yesterday

Here is a glimpse of it:

“The new budget level for the Defense Department will rise from FY 2013 to FY 2017; however, total U.S. defense spending, including both base funding and war costs, will drop by about 22% from its peak in 2010, after accounting for inflation.”

Winners (to face North Korea, Iran and China)

• Maintained the current bomber fleet (The USAF always wants it bombers above all else)
• Maintained the aircraft carrier fleet at 11 ships and 10 air wings (The USN always wants it carriers above all else)
• Maintained the bigdeck amphibious fleet (The USMC wants its gator fleet above all else)
• Sustained Army and Marine Corps force structure in the Pacific, while maintaining persistent presence in the Middle East
• Budgeted to forward station Littoral Combat Ships in Singapore and patrol craft in Bahrain
• Funded development of a new afloat forward staging base that can be dedicated to support missions.
• Funding for the new bomber
• Design changes to increase cruise missile capacity of future Virginia-­‐class submarines
• Design of a conventional prompt strike option from submarines
• Upgraded radars for tactical aircraft and ships
• Improved air-­‐to-­‐air missiles
• New electronic warfare and communications capabilities
• fund enough trained personnel, infrastructure, and platforms to sustain 65 USAF MQ-­‐1/9 combat air patrols (CAPs) with a surge capacity of 85; the Predator aircraft was retained longer than previously planned, allowing us to slow the buy of the Reaper aircraft and gain some savings
• Keep current pay rates and even budget raises in 2013 and 2014, however, “We will achieve some cost savings by providing more limited pay raises beginning in 2015.” (after the withdrawal from Afghanistan)

Navy Cuts

• Retiring 7 cruisers early 6 did not have ballistic missile defense (BMD) capability, and the seventh with BMD capability is in need of costly hull repairs.
• Slipping a large deck amphibious ship (LHA) by 1 year
• Slipping 1 new Virginia class submarine outside the FYDP
• Reducing Littoral Combat Ships by 2 ships in the FYDP
• Reducing Joint High Speed Vessels by 8 in the FYDP
• Retiring 2 smaller amphibious ships (LSD) early and moving their replacement outside the FYDP

Air Force cuts

• With respect to tactical air forces, we concluded that DoD could, at minimal risk, disestablish six Air Force tactical-­‐air fighter squadrons (out of 60) and one training squadron
• Retiring 27 aging C5As, resulting in a fleet of modernized 52 C5Ms and 222 C‐17s
• Retiring 65 of the oldest C130s, resulting in a fleet of 318 C130s
• Divesting 38 C-27s (which they never really wanted anyway) ” we no longer need nor can we afford a niche capability like the C27J aircraft.”
• Global Hawk Block 30 terminated
• Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS) 􀍴 terminated (keeping the U-2s from the 1950s still flying)

Army and Marines

• Reduce the size of the active Army from a post-­‐9/11 peak of about 570,000 in 2010 to 490,000 and the active Marine Corps from a peak of about 202,000 to 182,000 coupled with “only marginal reductions in the Army reserve and Army National Guard and no reductions to the Marine Corps Reserve”
• The Army plans to remove at least 8 combat brigades (including 2 from Europe) from their current force of 45, or about 18% of the current front line forces. Currently, the Army’s active ground force is made up of 22 infantry BCTs, 15 heavy BCTs, seven Stryker BCTs and the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which has been designated to transform into another Stryker BCT. For now, the Army plans to retain all of its Stryker BCTs. Stryker units are the largest in the BCT structure, with three maneuver battalions. It is not clear which 8 of these 45 BCTs will be cut.
• The HMMV replacement/upgrade plan is put on hold.