Obama warns more DoD cuts may be needed - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Obama warns more DoD cuts may be needed

President Obama laid out a big year for the military Tuesday night in his State of the Union address.

In a speech that talked about the need to cut federal spending — but not so deeply to eliminate things that aren’t wasteful — Obama said $78 billion in cuts in defense spending already proposed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates may not all of the belt-tightening the military is asked to make.

Obama said the 2012 federal budget he will unveil Feb. 14 will propose freezing spending on domestic programs for five years, achieving $400 billion in savings.

But those cuts come from just 12 percent of the budget, which isn’t enough.

“To make further progress, we have to stop pretending that cutting this kind of spending alone will be enough. It won’t,” he said.

“Every day, families sacrifice to live within their means. They deserve a government that does the same.”

Obama said he agrees with the conclusion reached last year by a presidential commission that concluded “the only way to tackle our deficit is to cut excessive spending wherever we find it — in domestic spending, defense spending, health care spending and spending through tax breaks and loopholes.”

He also warned lawmakers that he would veto any legislation sent to him filled with wasteful pet projects, known as earmarks.

Three significant events for the military will happen this year, Obama said.

• In Iraq, where American combat patrols have ended, Obama said “violence has come down and a new government has formed.”

“This year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people while we finish the job of training our troops out of Iraq,” he said. “America’s commitment has been kept. The Iraq war is coming to an end.”

• In Afghanistan, “there will be tough fighting ahead,” Obama said, but he renewed his pledge to begin withdrawing combat troops.

“This year, we will work with nearly 50 countries to begin a transition to an Afghan lead [for security]. And, this July we will begin to bring our troops home.”

To al-Qaida’s leadership in Pakistan, Obama had a simple message: “We will not relent, we will not waiver and we will defeat you.”

• Also coming this year will be the end of the military’s gay ban, Obama said, ending speculation that the process of getting the military ready for the culture change could drag on until 2012.

“Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love,” he said.

Once the gay ban is lifted, Obama said he hoped that college campuses that had barred military recruiters and Reserve Officer Training Corps programs would “open their doors” to the military.

“It is time to leave behind the divisive battles of the past,” Obama said. “It is time to move forward as one nation.”

Obama’s discussion of defense spending follows a call by Gates in early January to halt Pentagon spending growth during the next several years, which includes cutting ground forces by up to 47,000 people and seeking an out-of-pocket fee increase on health care for younger military retirees.

The cuts and shifting priorities are the latest signs that the days of huge military budget growth since 2001 are ending amid rising concerns about federal deficits and government spending.

Previously, Gates said he did not want to cut force levels but agreed to do so after the White House ordered the Pentagon to shave about $78 billion from its five-year spending plan. Under the new plan, defense spending will continue to grow for the next several years, including a 3 percent overall bump in 2012 — but that growth will be slower than Pentagon officials had planned, and then will remain flat in 2015 and 2016.

Last year, Gates also launched a Pentagon-wide review and told the individual services identify $100 billion in unnecessary spending that he Pentagon could keep and reinvest more efficiently.