Reply #19: “The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, opened a gusher of defense spending that nearly doubled the base bud [View All]

[pampango]

over the last decade,” Mr. Gates said. “Military spending on things large and small can and should expect closer, harsher scrutiny. The gusher has been turned off, and will stay off for a good period of time.”

While this may not seem like a significant savings in the Pentagon’s base budget, which stands just below $550 billion for next year, cuts of any size are certain to run hard against entrenched constituencies.

Mr. Gates’s critique of top-heavy headquarters overseas was underscored not only by the date on which it was given but also by the location of the speech: the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum here. In his talk, Mr. Gates questioned why, two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Defense Department “still has more than 40 generals, admirals or civilian equivalents based on the continent” of Europe.

Eisenhower, the supreme allied commander in Europe during World War II, in his farewell address as president warned the nation of the menacing influence of an emerging “military-industrial complex.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/us/politics/09gates.html