America at Risk: Tom Shanahan on the Navy's Readiness Crisis

http://site.heritage.org/protect-amer... | The year was 1979. America's military had emerged from the Vietnam War earlier in the decade and was now facing sizable and significant budget cuts.

Capt. Tom Shanahan, commanding officer of the USS Canisteo, had just returned from the Mediterranean Sea and was now leading an overhaul of his fleet supply ship. Over the course of 10 months, the crew assigned to the Canisteo gradually disappeared, relocated by the Navy to other assignments. Those personnel cuts eventually left Shanahan with so few men that he couldn't take his ship to sea.

More than 30 years later, the U.S. Navy is facing another readiness crisis. Shanahan's story illustrates how budget cuts after Vietnam left the military unprepared. Cuts today are creating a new set of challenges.

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[Omar Yo]

What is your source with respect to defense/military spending? By which standard of measurement are you drawing a comparison to make such an inaccurate statement? Were you aware that US Defense Dept. spends less than HHS? 4.06% of GDP is historically low for the United States since it peaked in 1944 to 37.8% of GDP (it reached the lowest point of 3.0% in 1999–2001). Even during the peak of the Vietnam War the percentage reached a high of 9.4% in 1968. Like most on the Tube, you know Jack Chit!

[Omar Yo]

"Maybe it's someone else's turn" BHO 2008.

[allegermann]

America's heritage is in America, why does it need the huge military to have a presence in the whole world?

[Ilicium]

Happened to me in 1991. Where were you, CAPT Shanahan? My captain wanted his goddamn eagles, so he took us to sea anyway.

[tolerantrobbob]

Which navy is going to defeat our navy? What a joke!

[hdawg2012]

Thank you for your service. Its not this mans fault he's being used for this propaganda piece.

[3martijns]

obama Policy is to Level the 'playing field', so USA is just another country.

So he wants Defense 'cut down to size'!

[bullpcp]

Have foreign businesses pay for their own defense instead of having the taxpayer subsidize their businesses with our military. Anyone with a passing understanding of basic economics realizes that most monetary reasons to project force or defend foreign interests are nonsense. By bringing our troops home and not policing the world we would be better defended for less. By investing in niche capabilities of intelligence and surgical strike/special forces we be more effective in the war on terror.

[bullpcp]

Defense and military spending are not the same thing. Simply increase our defense by closing all of our foreign bases and bringing back all of our troops home. Have foreign nations create and maintain military bases that they would be sure to allow us to use if it benefited them to do so. Bringing our forces home would also incentivise diplomacy of foreign countries. Countries would be less belligerent without the US military behind them. Concentrate on US defense.

[bullpcp]

We are spending more than ever before on our military, even considering times of war. We have military bases in 130 foreign countries. We intervene on behalf of wealthy countries, countries that often criticize of for spending as much as we do on our military, countries fully capable of funding their own military. We are fighting a "war" on terror. Wars on terror require niche capabilities representing approximately 3% or less of the military budget.