Retired General: Cut Defense Spending

Writes retired Brigadier General John Adams this week at The Hill:

“For far too long the quality of our national security has been judged by the quantity of Pentagon spending and by the size of our armed forces. The truth is, the more we spent like this, the more we have wasted and the less we actually thought about the meaning of national security… Yet, many of those who benefit from DOD business-as-usual argue that an $850 billion reduction in spending over 10 years would be devastating to our national security. This argument is wrong.”

Gen. Adams then gives us a more sober perspective:

“This budget debate should not be viewed as a catastrophe for national security; rather, it represents an opportunity to seriously review our national security strategy. This is an opportunity to make responsible long-term decisions about what is in America’s national security interest… (We must) end the folly of self-destructive unilateral wars that undermine our nation’s security.  This financial crisis underlines the necessity of ending our military involvement in Iraq on schedule, at the end of 2011, rather than wheedling the Iraqis to allow US troops to remain. This could cost of billions of dollars we can’t afford, and at the needless loss of more precious American lives.”

Gen. Adams then states the obvious:
 
“It is time for a national discussion on what constitutes American national security, and it is time to reorient our budget accordingly.”

Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee