Jason Ditz, January 04, 2012
The Obama Administration plans on unveiling what officials are calling a “more realistic” vision of the future of the US military on Thursday, promising significant cuts in the number of available ground troops at America’s disposal.
If you think that’s going to be an overall cut in the size of the US military or its budget, however, you haven’t been paying attention for the last several decades, as officials say the move will be coupled with an increase in spending on warplanes and warships.
Nominally, the plan is designed to move from the US being able to sustain two major occupations at any given time to one major occupation and enough forces to “block another conflict.” In real terms, it means an increase in spending, as usual.
In terms of the ground troops, officials say that instead of bringing army brigades home from Afghanistan the plan is for them to “basically disappear.” Even though the plan amounts to a net increase in spending going forward, it is expected to face resistance from hawks who feel it doesn’t increase spending enough.
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