Sunday, September 19, 2010
CRIPPLED GIANT
I feel sorry for the people who are ultimately responsible for making the policies that drive US defense spending ... if there are any. Tens and hundreds of billions of dollars get spent on programs that begin with enthusiasm over seemingly great ideas, but that then drag on and on and on without producing decent results. Here's a note from one of the best outside naval analysts about the waste that has gone into spending on US military shipbuilding. On that Navy side, that's the tip of the iceberg. Consider the LCS program. LCS is a fantastic idea for a new class of smaller, highly-flexible warship that can operate effectively in the increasingly hazardous near-shore environment, but still be a meaningful part of the traditional "blue water" fleet. The program's been running for eight years, billions have been spent, and we still only have two prototypes and no clear decision about ultimate acquisition and deployment. Meanwhile, looming over the whole realm of naval spending is the question of the long-term fate of the centerpiece of American military global power, the aircraft carrier battle group. Everyone knows that fundamental re-thinking of the carrier battle group concept is in order, but the institutional and financial inertia involved in the concept of the super-carrier seems to be impervious to critical policy-making.
Then there's the on-going gusher of money that is the F-35 all-things-to-all-people Joint Strike Fighter. The Senate Armed Services Committee keeps threatening to cut funding for the program if it doesn't "get back on track," whatever that means. As I've written before, in hindsight, it seems to me that the decision to end production of the incredibly capable air superiority fighter, the F-22, in favor of the so-called Swiss Army Knife F-35 may well have been exactly the wrong thing to do. As I and many others have said, if you don't control the skies, a twitchy stealth attack-fighter like the F-35 isn't going to be able to get the job done all by itself.
All of this is taking place in the over-all environment of necessarily shrinking military budgets as our economy continues to implode. I sure as hell hope there's some good stuff out there in the high desert that can provide a deus ex machina to get us out of this mess. Because if there's not, we're going to be a truly crippled giant in a few years ...
GB, THHotA
posted by Greg 5:53 AM
|
|
