Want to save a shitload of money? Bring home our military, and consolidate military bases

[Hugabear]

Step 1: Immediately withdraw our troops from Afghanistan and Iraq/Kuawait.

Step 2: Begin a phased close-down of all overseas US military bases. The vast majority of these are relics of WWII and the Cold War. Do we really need to continue our military presence in Germany and Japan? Last time I checked, both of those countries were allied with us. The only tricky withdrawal might be our troops stationed in South Korea. But even then, I'm pretty sure that South Korea can defend itself. Besides, if the shit really hit the fan, we have the ability to strike anywhere in the world on very short notice. But at the same time, we really need to re-examine our military/foreign policy. Much of the animosity we face around the world stems from our military presence. We need to put an end to our imperialistic attitudes, the notion that we have to be everywhere to "keep an eye on things". Bring our troops home, focus on securing our own borders, take care of our own country, and don't worry about meddling in the affairs of everyone else.

Step 3: Begin the process of consolidating our domestic military bases. Do we really need to have dozens, if not hundreds of military bases scattered throughout the country? Why not consolidate most of these bases into a handful of "superbases", with the Army, Air Force, and Navy sharing the same base. The military likes to talk a good deal about joint training and coordination, this would be a great step in that direction.

Maybe I'm hoping for a bit too much, but we could really put a huge dent in the budget with these steps, to the tune of billions of dollars per year.

[Swamp Rat]

1. Start by cutting the military budget in half.

[zigzagzed]

2. Slowly but surely

Step 3 is well underway, but it's hard to notice because the starting point was a lot worse than many people realize. An example from my home county is illustrative. The Army National Guard and Army Reserve owned more than 50 pieces of property in the county, many of which were single buildings in seemingly random locations. Since the Department of Defense began implementing the 2005 Base Realignment and Closing Commission (BRAC) recommendations, most of these have been consolidated into a single facility on the local Air Force Base. I've heard that the Army now spends only 5% of what it used to on facility maintenance, utilities, etc., and the process isn't finished yet.

[Gregorian]

3. It would crush our economy until we found substitute jobs for the military ones eliminated.

I've often thought about how much of our economy is military related. From rubber for tires, fuel, food, clothing, transportation, mining for metals, ammunition, engineering and research, and a million other things. I want to eliminate most of the military, but wonder just what effect it would have on the American economy.

[ProudDad]

4. Gotta power down anyway...

In order to cut down on GHG and enable the Earth to heal and continue to provide a habitat for large air-breathers...

It would be best to start with the war machine...

[Gregorian]

8. Swords to plowshares.

I used to drink and smoke. And I never thought I'd stop. But I wanted to be healthy. Now I cannot even imagine drinking. It's this same mental process by which we all must begin to change our lifestyle. We truly are unraveling the rug we're standing upon. Poor planet. I just met someone who spent the last fifteen years in China. Their carbon footprint is... I worry. I don't see the desire to change. Ferrari has the new 700 horsepower car. So cool. And so indicative of where we are still going. But I'm just typing into the wind now. You know it. I know it. But so many are so involved in their own little world, they don't see the forest for the trees. And even then there are necessities which when provided to this many people just cannot be sustained. I have dental surgery next week. It's 200 miles to get to a specialist. Multiply that out by a few billion people. I'm off topic. But it's all related.

[ProudDad]

23. Actually you are COMPLETELY ON topic

It IS about changing one's own mind first...

Congratulations on the drinking and smoking cessation -- I quit smoking about 26 years ago and drinking over 11 years ago and I too cannot imagine taking up those awful habits again...

Just as I've realized that the myths we've been fed; "Growth is Good", "USA is a democracy", "Ya' can't fight City Hall", "capitalism is the best economic system", "trickle down", "War is Peace"...

and the granddaddy of them all: "We have an infinite amount of resources to exploit on a finite planet"...

Are all Foma and bullshit and I couldn't go back to believing any of that crap again (some I never believed)...

We are as powerful as we wish to be...

We are as powerless as we allow others to exercise power over us...

We don't have to buy into the myths...

Maybe we'll survive if there's a shift in the Gestalt in time...

If we don't, that's ok too...

[Mimosa]

5. Manufacturing of textiles, ceramics and electronics was all offshored.

I have wondered if the economy was purposefully screwed up so that young people would join the military in the absence of a draft.

[leftstreet]

6. Just keep paying them

Keep it a federal jobs program and start by turning to nonprofit infrastructure rebuilding...recruit more people!

We'd need all the things you listed - minus the ammunition!

[Gregorian]

9. Yes. In fact that goes right in line with what Naom Chomsky has been saying.

Duh. It's not too difficult to figure that one out. Thanks for enlightening me.


And the benefits from not making enemies would be fantastic. Not to mention new infrastructure. China just put a quarter trillion into theirs. All while we sent our hard work one way in the form of bombs. Nothing to show for all of that effort except enemies.

[Hugabear]

12. How about re-building our national infrastructure?

Plenty of roads that need to be re-paved, bridges that need to be repaired, buildings that need to be updated, etc. That means jobs that can't be outsourced.

[Gregorian]

22. The Chomsky solution.

I spoke too soon. That is the answer. And that is most likely what we're going to do, simply because we can't afford the continual hangover from war. Stupid conservative agenda! I will never forgive the people who got us into these wars. Now it's time to clean house and fix the broken fence.

[Jack Sprat]

7. Shutdown of the MIC? I'm with ya all the way, but

It ain't happening I'm afraid. Just ask Ike.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. The Department of Defense is America's largest single employer...

...with over 1.3 million men and women on active duty and 669,281 civilian personnel.

How many would you put out of work with your plan, and what do we do with them in an economy that is not making enough jobs.

The budget can not be brought back in line without cutting military spending, but it will require more than just ending out oversea bases, many of which are defined by treaties that would need to be renegotiated.

[dkf]

11. Yup sounds like a massive layoff plan to me.

[sudopod]

14. The DoD isn't a jobs program.

But we could use some of the money we'd recover from shrinking the war machine to fund one and have plenty left over for deficit reduction or whatever.

[dkf]

17. What you gonna do with all those laid off young men?

We don't need much more for construction. And we trained them to kill too. That is just great.

[sudopod]

18. Oh yes we do. Our infrastrucuture is crumbling.

Some states are better than others about carrying their part of the load regarding road construction and bridge maintenence, but others are just bloody miserable.

Use the money to pay for college educations. Use it to fund low interest small business loans. Use it to pay for health care.

There's plenty of things that need to be done, just a lack of potential paychecks.

Besides, they don't need to be on the other side of the world killing people, and it would be absurd to pay soldiers to stand around and not kill people. An enormous idle army is not a good thing. Ever.

[Ozymanithrax]

19. Actually, as the nations largest employer it sure as hell is a jobs program.

And to control the deficit, you would have to pour that money into cutting borrowing from foreign nations and buying back our debt. The 2010 DOD budget was about 663 Billion. If you cut 331 billion from that, you only reduce the amount we borrowed as of August this year (1.3 trillion) by about a quarter.

If you spend that 331 billion on jobs programs, you have to hire as many DOD employees as you fire, and continue to borrow money at a record and unsustainable rate.

What they should do is:

(1) end the tax breaks, all of them. Even just tax breaks for the middle class and poor will be paid for by borrowing money. Raise taxes on the to 2% to levels from 1964 (75% on the top tax bracket).
(2) Cut the military budget by withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan, and renegotiate treaties with NATO and various nations.
(3) Rebuild manufacturing base in the U.S., probably through targeted tax breaks based on new employees. You could also require that everying bought by the U.S. government must be made in the U.S. of A., whiether it is a paper clip or a Coast Guard Cutter. Even the steel used in this stuff would have to be made in the U.S. of A.

[sudopod]

20. Note: The "DoD" budget does not include any of the war supplementals

pork to defense contractors added as line items, or defense related spending smuggled in through other agencies, such as the Department of Energy.

also to be noted, this would be done over several years, not all at once. We're edging up to the 1 trillion dollar mark when everything is accounted for, IIRC.

I like 1, 2, and 3 :)

[Ozymanithrax]

16. There are easy answers, but no simple answers...

And the easy answers never work.

[classysassy]

13. Foreign nationals and American contractors

cost billions of dollars,get rid of them and let the military do their jobs, ie,KP,ground details etc.Return the jobs that have been sent overseas and there will be ample jobs for returning military personnel and their families,the tax base would increase

[Obamanaut]

15. Re your step 2: There are more than 700 military sites in 30+ various

countries. These sites vary in size, some allow dependents, others do not. Closing them would mean an immediate savings on the current lease payments, as well as savings on the salaries of the local civilian employees at those sites

The personnel and dependents could be dispersed around the bases in the US as part of your step 3, resulting in an immediate boost to the local economies.

The total active force can gradually be reduced via normal attrition as enlistments expire and reduced recruiting efforts.

It is time for the US to stop being the 'policemen to the world', and for the Department OF Defense to become a Department FOR Defense.

Your step 1 gets a PLUS 1.

Edited to add. Condensed version = I agree.

[ladjf]

21. There you go again, offering another reasonable idea. Don't you

know that reasonable, objective thinking has gone out of style in America. You are wasting your time.
But, I like your posts and wish that our politicians, especially the President, would pay attention to you.

[mdmc]

24. ..