Defense Spending

Top Defense Dem: GOP Must Blink First To Avoid Pentagon Cuts

Brian Beutler | January 26, 2012, 11:59AM

Despite a brewing panic among Congressional Republicans (and some Democrats) over automatic, across-the-board defense cuts set to kick in on January 1, 2013, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee says those cuts must stand unless and until Republicans relent on their anti-tax absolutism, and agree on a balanced deficit reduction package that includes higher revenue.

"The purpose of the sequester is to force us to act to avoid the sequester," Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor roundtable. "It's like a nuclear weapon -- it's totally useless; it can't be used except to accomplish some other goal than its use. It's used to deter."

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Barack Obama

Defense Secretary Panetta: Defense Cuts Come With 'Additional But Acceptable Risk'

David Taintor | January 5, 2012, 11:47AM

President Barack Obama at the Pentagon on Thursday said that even though the Defense Department's budget will shrink, the U.S. military will remain a strong force.

The first U.S. president to deliver a briefing at the Pentagon, Obama said, "Yes, our military will be leaner, but the world must know, the United States is going to maintain our military superiority with Armed Forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats."

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Jay Carney

White House Denies Report That Pentagon Plans To Reduce Troops In Iraq To 3,000

Susan Crabtree | September 6, 2011, 4:56PM

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

The White House denied initial reports that the Obama administration is moving forward with a plan to radically reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to 3,000 by the end of the year.

Fox News on Tuesday reported that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had signed off on the troop-reduction plan despite an angry reaction from generals and senior commanders.

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Defense Spending

Panetta Confirms Pentagon Considering Replacing Military Retirement With 401(k) Plan

Brian Beutler | August 16, 2011, 5:03PM

Leon Panetta

In a rare joint appearance with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the National Defense University Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta confirmed a CBS News report that the Pentagon is considering a dramatic plan to overhaul the military's once sacrosanct retirement plan.

According to CBS, the plan "would eliminate the familiar system under which anyone who serves 20 years is eligible for retirement at half their salary. Instead, they'd get a 401k-style plan with government contributions."

Panetta largely confirmed the report, with a key caveat.

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Leon Panetta

Panetta Under Pressure To Slash Defense Spending

Susan Crabtree | July 3, 2011, 2:27PM

CIA Director Leon Panetta

This 4th of July Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who just took over at the Pentagon on Friday, has a lot more on his mind than patriotism and fireworks.

Panetta is already being forced to walk a fine line between those in his party looking for even bigger defense cuts than his predecessor Roberts Gates recommended and critics who worry that too much streamlining will produce a hollow force.

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Defense Spending

Boeing Caught With Hand In The Cookie Jar, Overcharged Army Millions

Igor Bobic | June 29, 2011, 4:38PM

Apache Attack Helicopter

Boeing Co. raked in millions of dollars from the U.S. Army by marking up spare helicopter parts as much as 177,000 percent, according to a Defense inspector general report first obtained by the Project on Government Oversight.

Boeing, a major defense contractor, overcharged the Army on 18 different parts and collected $23 million dollars instead of the $10 million it should have received in fiscal year 2010. One part, a straight pin that usually valued at $0.04, was sold to the Army for an astronomical $74.01 per unit. A plain stud used on Apache helicopters fetched $3,369.48, even though it usually retails for $190.00 a piece - a 1,673 percent markup.

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Afghanistan

Panetta Sidesteps Barrage Of Questions On Afghan Drawdown

Susan Crabtree | June 9, 2011, 12:06PM

Leon Panetta, tapped by President Obama to succeed Robert Gates as defense secretary, attempted to dodge the most critical question facing the military and the administration right now during his nomination hearing Thursday.

Panetta faced a barrage of questions about the upcoming drawdown of troops in Afghanistan after signaling that he backed the President's call for a "significant" reduction of U.S. troops beginning in July.

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Libya

Obama Sends $25 Million To Libyan Rebels

Susan Crabtree | April 27, 2011, 9:01AM

President Barack Obama formally ordered up to $25 million in urgent -- but non-military -- aid for Libyan rebels fighting Muammar Qaddafi as a fears of a open-ended stalemate escalated.

Obama granted the funds to Libya's Transitional National Council in a memo from the President to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton early Tuesday evening.

David Petraeus

Panetta To Move To Pentagon, Petraeus To CIA

Susan Crabtree | April 27, 2011, 8:52AM

Leon Panetta and David Petraeus

President Obama plans to tap CIA Director Leon Panetta to head the Defense Department to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and David Petraeus will succeed Panetta at the CIA, according to media reports.

Petraeus, 58, currently serves as the commander of allied forces in Afghanistan and previously led operations in Iraq from 2006 to 2008.

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Libya

Senate Hawks Berate Gates Over Handoff Of Libya To NATO

Susan Crabtree | March 31, 2011, 5:46PM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Defense Secretary Robert Gates endured nearly six hours of grilling from Congress Thursday, with the most combative questioning coming from -- surprisingly -- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and a group of Senate hawks on the Armed Services Committee who support military intervention in Libya.

McCain expressed grave disappointment about the decision to have the U.S. military forces step aside and allow NATO to take control before Muammar Qaddafi has been toppled from power.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) asked why the U.S. couldn't simply bomb Qaddafi like President Reagan tried to do in 1986 when he sent cruise missiles into the Libyan leader's palace, killing one of his daughters, and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said rebel setbacks over the last two days have been "unsettling."

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Libya

Pentagon: U.S. Working Hard to Turn Over Lead In Libya

Susan Crabtree | March 24, 2011, 5:47PM

Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi

The United States is doing everything it can to hand over leadership of the coalition air strikes and policing of the no-fly zone over Libya to allies as early as this weekend but will continue flying combat missions afterward.

U.S. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, director of the military's Joint Staff, told reporters Thursday that the U.S. role will be largely a supportive one focused on refueling efforts and reconnaissance, but he also conceded the U.S. would continue flying a limited number of strike missions.

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John Boehner

Boehner To Obama: Please Provide Clear Answers on Libya

Susan Crabtree | March 23, 2011, 7:22PM

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is demanding detailed answers from President Obama on the scope and objective of U.S. military action in Libya and his plans for removing Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi from power if he does not voluntarily step down in the next few days.

In a letter (read it here) to the White House sent Wednesday afternoon, Boehner asks Obama to outline the "scope, objective and purpose of the mission in Libya and how it will be achieved."

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Libya

Senior Senate Dems Defend Obama's Decisions on Libya

Susan Crabtree | March 23, 2011, 3:36PM

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Three senior Senate Demorats are coming to President Obama's defense on his decision to seek international support before directing air strikes against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

Sen. Dick Durbin (IL), the assistant majority leader, Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (MI) and Sen. Jack Reed (RI), a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, gave the President a collective pat on the back for his diplomatic and military decisions on Libya in the last week in the face of harsh criticism from both sides of the aisle that Obama's handling of the Libyan crisis was too little too late and did not seek congressional approval for the military action.

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Libya

Libya Talk Turns To Limited Boots On The Ground

Susan Crabtree | March 23, 2011, 1:37AM

Conservative advocates for greater U.S. intervention in Libya are beginning to call for a limited number of boots on the ground to help rebel forces coordinate and target their attacks against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

Max Boot, a longtime proponent of the use of military force to promote U.S. ideals around the world, is calling on President Obama to send special forces teams into Libya to work with the opposition leaders to coordinate their attacks on the ground with NATO airstrikes.

Boot was quick to say he wasn't pushing a foreign occupation on the ground, which would directly violate the United Nations Security Council resolution passed Thursday giving the U.S., Britain and France the authority to use all necessary force to avert a humanitarian crisis.

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Barack Obama

Obama: U.S. Is Not Targeting Qaddafi But Has Tools To Do So

Susan Crabtree | March 21, 2011, 4:30PM

President Barack Obama

Update: President Obama sent a letter to Congressional leaders spelling out his decision to direct strikes against Libyan air defenses over the weekend and citing his Constitutional authority for the military action.

President Obama held out the threat of targeting Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi personally Monday but said the U.S. would stop short of doing so -- at least for now.

Instead, Obama stressed the importance of sticking to the mandate of the U.N. resolution passed Thursday, which focuses on preventing Qaddafi from crushing opposition forces in a large-scale massacre.

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Libya

Pressure in Congress Mounts For No-Fly Zone In Libya

Susan Crabtree | March 8, 2011, 10:33AM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)

As air attacks against Libyan rebels grow more violent, calls for attacking Muammar Qaddafi's Air Force are growing in Congress.

Britain and France are drafting a UN resolution establishing a no-fly zone, which will be considered at a NATO meeting Thursday.

But some in Congress believe time is of the essence and are urging Obama to act independently.

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Betty McCollum

Dem Rep Continues Fight To Strip Pentagon NASCAR Sponsoring (VIDEO)

Andrew Jones | March 3, 2011, 4:01PM

Rep. Betty McCollum

The checkered flag apparently has not waved yet on Rep. Betty McCollum's (D-MN) fight to strip away Pentagon funding from NASCAR.

On MSNBC this afternoon, the St. Paul, Minn., congresswoman showed no signs of backing down on her staunch criticism of the Defense Department spending $7 million sponsoring the #39 Sprint Cup U.S. Army Chevy Impala, driven by Ryan Newman.

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Robert Gates

Gates and Mullen: Iran And Al Qaeda Biggest Losers in Middle East Fallout

Susan Crabtree | March 1, 2011, 4:39PM

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are optimistic about results of anti-government movements in the Middle East and called Iran and al Qaeda the "biggest losers" in the ongoing fallout.

"Iran is the real loser here whether they want to admit it or not," Mullen told reporters during a briefing Tuesday at the Pentagon. "They had no hand in the change ... except the one they used to slap back their own people."

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Iraq

Gates: GOP Spending Cuts Could Turn Iraq Into Afghanistan Circa 1990

Brian Beutler | February 18, 2011, 6:02PM

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

I wrote earlier this month about the GOP's plan to lump State Department funds in with "domestic discretionary spending," and, thus, subject it to massive cuts. At the time, Democrats were warning that this could upend the strategy in Iraq, which involves winding down Defense Department involvement and ratcheting up State Department operations.

I don't know how common it is for cabinet secretaries to protect departments other than their own from spending cuts. But Robert Gates did that yesterday.

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pentagon

Robert Gates Says He'll Retire Next Year: 'Mistake' To Stick Around Until 2012

Christina Bellantoni | August 16, 2010, 10:34AM

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is waxing poetic about historical tenure serving at the Pentagon, and told Foreign Policy magazine he will retire sometime next year.

"I think that it would be a mistake to wait until January 2012," Gates, who has served under both President Obama and former president George W. Bush, told Foreign Policy. "This is not the kind of job you want to fill in the spring of an election year."

Foreign Policy reports that Gates noted that if he lasts until January, he "will have been in the job longer than all but four of my predecessors." They are Robert McNamara, Don Rumsfeld, Cap Weinberger, and Charles E. Wilson.

Obama has lost several top economic officials this year, and it's not unusual for major transitions out of the administration in its third and fourth years, especially as the campaign heats up.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

You've Got Mail: Pentagon Surveys Troops On Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Christina Bellantoni | July 9, 2010, 8:30AM

A US Army solider

More than 400,000 members of the military this week received email surveys about Don't Ask, Don't Tell that contained 100 questions ranging from how troops would handle group showers to how knowing your fellow serviceman was gay would affect morale -- as though troops weren't already serving (and, yes, showering with) gay men and lesbian service members.

But like so many of the twists and turns in the Don't Ask, Don't Tell saga, the surveys have been met with frustration from the LGBT community and the Pentagon is trying to defend its system as critical to the review process for repealing the Clinton-era policy.

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Stanley McChrystal

Whew! TPM's List Of Folks Breathing Sighs Of Relief Thanks To Gen. McChrystal

Christina Bellantoni | June 23, 2010, 10:13AM

(Clockwise from top left) Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), BP CEO Tony Hayward, a Taliban fighter, Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R-NV)

Gen. Stanley McChrystal isn't the only person who was worried about losing his rank this week. But thanks to an explosive Rolling Stone profile that changed the political conversation in Washington, McChrystal is likely to be the only one who actually does.

TPM put together a list of the people who just might be thankful for the McChrystal mess, even if they only have a brief reprieve from their own nasty headlines.

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Afghanistan

Summoned To Situation Room: McChrystal In Hot Water Over Rolling Stone Profile

Christina Bellantoni | June 22, 2010, 9:13AM

President Barack Obama and General Stanley McChrystal

Gen. Stanley McChrystal has some explaining to do. McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan held over from the Bush administration, has been summoned to the White House to apologize in person for some nasty remarks he and members of his staff made about Vice President Joe Biden and key members of President Obama's Cabinet.

McChrystal and his aides in the field mocked National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones, special envoy Richard Holbrooke and others. The brutal comments will be published in an upcoming edition of Rolling Stone. The article describes McChrystal as being "disappointed" by a meeting with Obama and said the president seemed "uncomfortable and intimidated" by military brass. (The Rolling Stone story, by freelance writer Michael Hastings, was posted here as a PDF, but was pulled after about 9:15 a.m. It comes out Friday.)

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Behind The Scenes: How The Deal To Repeal DADT Got Done

Brian Beutler and Christina Bellantoni | May 26, 2010, 10:45AM

Clockwise, from top left: President Barack Obama, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

After months of being accused by gay rights supporters of not pushing aggressively enough for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, what finally got the White House moving and sealed the deal on a DADT compromise?

From interviews with those deeply involved in the issue over the past few weeks, including people on the Hill and in the advocacy groups in Washington, the picture that emerges isn't one of a single catalyzing event that suddenly moved the process forward. Rather, according to participants and close observers, there was a confluence of political conditions and practical considerations that gave those pushing for repeal the upper hand in dealing with a reluctant White House.

The final push came from the Hill, where key members of Congress who support repeal, like Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), the powerful chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made it clear that they were moving forward with repeal legislation with or without the White House's blessing.

"Levin and others made it clear that the train was leaving the station and the White House not only was not conducting but they weren't even on board," Alex Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, an advocacy group for gays in the military, said in an interview with TPMDC. "They were backed into a corner and and it was blatantly obvious so they finally decided to get on board."

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Afghanistan

Fine-Tuning His War: How President Obama Arrived At Afghanistan Decision

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 12:40PM

Top Left: Afghanistan and Pakistan Map Bottom Left: President Obama with War Council Right: President Obama

By June 1, there will be about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan with a mission of weakening the Taliban, rooting out Al Qaeda and helping the Afghan government bolster its own forces.

President Obama's wartime decision comes after weeks of private Situation Room meetings between key Cabinet members, generals and his national security team. After nine of those meetings, Obama also has spoken with world leaders and allies who are backing him by sending more troops of their own.

Republicans after weeks of blasting Obama for taking too long already are hailing the decision as the right one. Meanwhile, left-leaning groups question the cost in both blood and treasure, and Code Pink is out with a tough new flier mocking Obama's "hope" slogan and marching in front of the White House today.

Obama at 8 p.m. in a speech at West Point will set a timetable for withdrawing those troops and benchmarks, the White House says, for evaluating success there.

Mindful of the political repercussions, the DNC tells the 2.7 million on the Obama Twitter feed that he will "lay out the path forward" in Afghanistan.

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Afghanistan

Obama Sending 30,000 More Troops To Afghanistan

Christina Bellantoni | December 1, 2009, 10:28AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama will send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, an administration official tells TPMDC.

The official, speaking on a condition of anonymity because Obama has not announced the new strategy yet to the nation, said the president "intervened" to make sure the military deploys these troops to the region faster than initially planned.

This will bring the total troops in Afghanistan to more than 100,000 - a jump of more than 60,000 since Obama took office in January.

They will be there within six months, the official said.

The New York Times describes it as a "more, sooner" policy. The president reached the conclusion after nine meetings of his war council.

In his speech tonight at West Point, Obama will talk about a timeframe for withdrawal. The official said after the nine meetings, "consensus" has emerged among the key players, which "will make it easier to implement."

Before leaving for West Point late this afternoon, Obama will meet with Congressional leaders to discuss the decision.

Afghanistan

Defense Sec. Gates 'Appalled' By Leaks On Afghanistan And Threatens Firings

Christina Bellantoni | November 12, 2009, 3:11PM

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has threatened to fire Pentagon employees who are leaking details of President Obama's deliberations on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Gates addressed the leaks today in a press briefing while flying to Wisconsin, according to an article in the Pentagon's own American Forces Press Service.

"I am appalled by the amount of leaking that has been going on," he said.

From the article:

Gates said he has little doubt that some of those leaks have come from within the Defense Department. "If I found out who" was involved, he said, "it would probably be a career ender."

The official line from the White House and Pentagon is that Obama remains undecided on how many troops to send.

He also condemned leaks on the Ft. Hood shootings, saying: "Everybody out there with their own little piece of the action" doesn't understand how it fits into the big picture.

"Everybody out there ought to just shut up."