There seems to be a lot of NIMBYism on this forum for cuts to the DOD.
A lot of you guys are employed or were employed by DOD or DHS.
I want to discuss debt in the context of this:
Armed Forces:
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
Civil Servants:
I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
I want to focus on "support[ing] and defend[ing] the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
We have no declaration of War anywhere. We have various police actions, occupation actions, joint military exercises and so on... but nothing worthy of being declared a war by Congress.
However, our debts are staggering.
Our debts ARE the enemy right now most likely to obliterate us. Is that not an enemy worth fighting?
It would be folly to suggest that the DOD falls on its sword and sacrifices its entire $700 billion annual budget to appease the debt (which would only partially appease it anyways).
But when confronting an enemy that has twice the financial resources as our DOD/DHS... is it proper to expect to face down this enemy with absolutely no casualties? With less than 10% casualties? Less than 25% casualties? Keep in mind, the 2011 budget deficit was $1.5 trillion. The 2011 DOD budget was $708 billion. The DHS 2011 budget was $56 billion.
And these casualties I point to are not deaths or dismemberments. They are simply lay-offs, where people take their various skills they've obtained in the military or DHS and apply them in the private marketplace.
I expect better than a 1:1 attrition rate from our military and DHS, so falling on the proverbial sword in sacrifice isn't the answer. Even trades with HUD/DOE/DOE/SSA/whatever should be the goal. So, a 1:5 to 1:10 attrition rate is appropriate, IMO. This means a net loss in DOD/DHS operating capability of 10 to 20 percent.
Government is too expensive. We are in debt. We are dying from it. Our government employees of all stripes swore an oath to defend this country, up to and including putting their lives on the line. This doesn't require your lives. This requires you to find a private sector job that isn't still coming out of the government teat somewhere else as a "contractor," and that the position you left at government doesn't get filled by someone else.
I just don't see it as that big of a deal.