Obama’s Reckless Disarmament

In the past, presidents of both parties have slashed the defense budget, making it a bill-payer for domestic spending priorities.  The resulting hollowing out of our military left it unprepared for the otherwise avoidable wars invited by our weakness.

We were assured that such “peace dividends” were possible thanks to tranquil global conditions.  By contrast, the budget unveiled by President Obama yesterday – with its continuing, huge cuts to military preparedness, modernization, training and power projection capabilities – comes at a moment when the U.S. is in one war in Afghanistan, another is being threatened by the North Koreans and more dangers are emerging by the day.

It has always been irresponsible to deny our armed forces the steady and robust investment the national security requires. Doing so under present circumstances is downright reckless.