asterism
Congress != Progress
Here are a few ideas I have for reducing the military budget:
1. Streamline the purchase and delivery of consumables to non-theater units. The military is a fighting force geared to blowing things up and killing people. In combat operations they do that very well. Back on base, they don't. They generate paperwork - LOTS AND LOTS of paperwork. However, the same system used to supply administrative consumables in combat is also used on base resulting in an increased expense.
2. Get rid of baseline budgeting, otherwise known as "use it or lose it." Most units have adaptable mission requirements which aren't reflected in their budgets. A unit that has just come off a deployment does not need the same amount of ammunition, vehicle service, food, and replacement equipment it needed while on deployment. However, the budget is the same and great efforts are made to spend that money to keep the unit "combat ready." Scrap this inefficient relic.
3. End the practice of Congressional Lobbying to keep unnecessary military bases due to the impact on local economies. We have too many military bases that operate simply because there has always been one there.
4. Streamline the equipment purchase practice. One of the reasons electronics and basic components are so expensive is because of the long convoluted processes used by the DoD to acquire them. It should not take 5 years and reams of proposals just to sell standard AA batteries to a base. Perhaps the units shouldn't even be buying them off the GSA schedule for twice the price Staples charges to ship them to the office.
Thoughts?
1. Streamline the purchase and delivery of consumables to non-theater units. The military is a fighting force geared to blowing things up and killing people. In combat operations they do that very well. Back on base, they don't. They generate paperwork - LOTS AND LOTS of paperwork. However, the same system used to supply administrative consumables in combat is also used on base resulting in an increased expense.
2. Get rid of baseline budgeting, otherwise known as "use it or lose it." Most units have adaptable mission requirements which aren't reflected in their budgets. A unit that has just come off a deployment does not need the same amount of ammunition, vehicle service, food, and replacement equipment it needed while on deployment. However, the budget is the same and great efforts are made to spend that money to keep the unit "combat ready." Scrap this inefficient relic.
3. End the practice of Congressional Lobbying to keep unnecessary military bases due to the impact on local economies. We have too many military bases that operate simply because there has always been one there.
4. Streamline the equipment purchase practice. One of the reasons electronics and basic components are so expensive is because of the long convoluted processes used by the DoD to acquire them. It should not take 5 years and reams of proposals just to sell standard AA batteries to a base. Perhaps the units shouldn't even be buying them off the GSA schedule for twice the price Staples charges to ship them to the office.
Thoughts?
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