And So It Begins…
Obama calls for Defense Cuts of 10% starting in 2010. From Fox News:
The Obama administration has asked the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to cut the Pentagon’s budget request for the fiscal year 2010 by more than 10 percent — about $55 billion — a senior U.S. defense official tells FOX News.
Last year’s defense budget was $512 billion. Service chiefs and planners will be spending the weekend “burning the midnight oil” looking at ways to cut the budget — looking especially at weapons programs, the defense official said.
Recalling cuts from the Clinton Era, I am thinking anything transformational, untraditional, or cheap (recall the arsenal ships and the Armored Gun System, both of which would have been ready and most useful in the War on Terror )will likely be the first target. Perhaps, though with Gates still at the helm, my skepticism will be unfounded.
H/T to CDR Salamander.
New Wars 
I think this war is winding down, one way or the other, though I’m still rooting for the good guys!
Better yet cut out a war or two. Were in a financial crisis, we no longer have the luxury in engaging in far off wars that are not necessary. But of course that’s easier said than done and there will be a ton of cuts to future weapons systems.
If history is any guide, you are right Gerry.
Easiest way and most likely will be in personnel, training, and flying hours. Mission capablility will drop drasticaly, as will pilot training. Cannon foder will be seen as collateral damage.
This is going to cut bone, especially if President Obama’s stated intent to grow the Army and Marines by 92,000 holds true. To get there, DoD will have to hold or grow personnel funding, multiplying the impact of top line cuts on the procurement and RDT&E accounts. I see a 26% decrease in procurement coming from this 10% delta.
They better start looking at cuts for the current year already. And next year not for 10, but better 25 percent! And equally they have to look into the national security/defence related expenditures, that do not show up in the DoD budget.
The overall defence-rlated budget has to come down to 500 billion max.