PAX getting ready for budget cuts?

[DooDoo1402]

...
A sincere thank-you to all that serve and protect this country in whatever capacity that you do.

Hey Roadkill... that was a sobering reply/post! Not many civilians realize the benefit we (the base) are around here. That is, until we are gone. Please take a look at the many communities that got hit by BRAC in the past. Most are now a ghost town.

Having said that... I hope most realize that the so-called recession or depression is not even hardly here. Well, not here yet! We got hit by it with home values, but other than that, as govt and a naval base, with the workers, we pretty much have it made and have been secure. In fact it is like that throughout the country. The communities that have a federal or military base is living pretty much normal. Communities that don't have any and especially if they are rural, they got hit hard! But now it is gonna hit the military and the bases... and perhaps now community folks might see what a real recession/depression really is...

But I have family that live in rural central PA that got hit many many months ago. The wife has the same thing in south central GA. They were hit with unemployment and job outsourced over seas and companies closing left and right. People struggling day to day to put food on the table and the unemployment time running out. This has been going on long before November 4, 2008.

I am positive the President is more worried about those millions who have been jobless for months/years than to worry about outsourced contractors for the military. Another Bush/GOP screw up...

Thanks for your kind words tho....

 

[Porsche944turbo]

In typical Carter fashion, the new admin is going to try to save what's left of the budget by cutting back on the essential obstacle protecting American freedom....the military.

Change is coming....



Levin: Expect Huge, Painful Cuts in Defense Budget

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 1:03 PM

Article Font Size

WASHINGTON -- A Senate defense committee chairman says Pentagon budget will include large, painful cuts. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said Tuesday that major program cuts will not be pushed off until the 2011 budget, but will be included when Defense Secretary Robert Gates sends his spending plan to the president later this month.

Levin's comments confirmed what many contractors and military leaders have expected, but he offered no details on which programs may be axed. He said Pentagon officials have indicated they will not be able to submit the much-anticipated spending plan by April 21, as initially hoped.

The Michigan Democrat also told reporters at a breakfast meeting that he is reserving judgment on whether the multi-billion-dollar contract for replacement of the Air Force's aging refueling tankers should go to one company or be split between two rival bidders. Other key lawmakers have suggested a split.

The Air Force selected Northrop Grumman/EADS over competitor Boeing Co. for the aerial tanker project last year, but reopened the bidding after the Government Accounting Office found flaws with the decision.


Newsmax.com - Levin: Expect Huge, Painful Cuts in Defense Budget

Too bad McCain didn't get elected since he was going to cut all Cost Plus contracts which would have gotten rid of a lot of waste at PAX and over paid employees in the DoD.

 

[foodcritic]

... in prior years the cost of prosecuting the war in Iraq and Afgan was supplementary to the military budget. The proposed budget has the cost of those wars in the base budget... So... even though Gates has proposed a 4.5% increase to the exisiting 540 (approx) billion dollar budget, approx 140 billion of that will be dedicated to the war effort. So there is an inherrent cut coming that is not associated with the cuts that the administration is talking about.

There were hearings on the hill the other day with defense planners and the tone of the discussion was sobering. For example...

- The Navy's surface fleet acquisition program is in disarray. Massive cost overruns on vessels that were supposed to be relatively cheap. Congress will cut the acquisition budgets to protect the billets of active duty personnel. No big surface fleet acquisition programs means reduced need for contractor personnel.
- The costs for the carrier's new electromagnetic launch system are 600 million over budget with no guarantee that it will be ready for the next carrier, and if it ain't they will have to retrofit a conventional steam system at a staggering cost and with program slippage of 1 to 3 years.
- There is a recognition FROM THE STRATEGIC PLANNERS that the federal government cannot continue to print money. They are factoring this into their decision making process.
- There is a recognition FROM THE STRATEGIC PLANNERS that the US, with just 5% of the world's population cannot continue to provide more than 50% of the worlds security. The are factoring this into their decision making process.
- There were also questions about why the US military is planning their acquisition strategy on a conflict with China, who is our biggest supplier of goods. I am not qualified to offer an opinion of whether this is a sound strategy or not.

I too see "defense spending" as a jobs program that should not be cut at this time, but I am afraid that so much money is going to be spent on bank bailouts and administration preferred social programs that the US military will be flat out of luck.

For the record, I am not a government weenie or in the defense contractor community. I work for one of the few truly commercial companies, a manufacturer in fact, in St. Mary's County. The company that I work for is hurting... our orders are off big time. IMO we are all fortunate to live in SoMD because the base and related activities have made this area recession proof.

But this could change, and I believe it will change for the worse. I agree with the strategic planning guys that the spending is not sustainable.

A sincere thank-you to all that serve and protect this country in whatever capacity that you do.

Is congress really in a position to point fingers at DOD budgets being over....Go visit the Capitol Visitor Center that just opened. See how much the cost overuns and delays were $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

The opening would come eight years after ground was broken on the three-story underground complex on the east side of the Capitol between the Capitol building and the Supreme Court. Final costs were recently estimated at $621 million, more than double the $265 million anticipated when the project began.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Republican Leader John Boehner said the official public opening would come on the 145th anniversary of the completion of the Capitol dome — Dec. 2, 1863 — when the Statute of Freedom was placed atop what was then the new dome.

The 580,000-square foot visitor center features two large orientation movie theaters and an exhibition hall with documents and artifacts from the National Archives and the Library of Congress. It will also boast a 550-seat cafeteria, gift shops and other amenities for visitors who now must wait in line outdoors for tours of the Capitol.

The project was originally scheduled to be completed in January, 2005, but the date was pushed back several times after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, as lawmakers decided to add security components to the center, including emergency evacuation routes. They also expanded the project to include more work space and meeting rooms.

FOXNews.com - U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Over Budget and Late, Set to Open in December - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

 

[BernieP]

1 - Things will be so bad that the Dems will be out in 4 years and the military budget is restored before it even gets cut.

-or-

2 - Things will be so good that the Dems stay and the folks who loose their jobs at PAX will be able to find jobs elsewhere.


Sounds like a win/win.

how about the followin:

Things will be worse in 4 years BUT
Dems will remain in power as they will be the only "Hope we can believe in".

One of the great concerns is that the socialist policies being put in place will be entrenched at the end of this administration and that putting the economy back on a free market basis will take decadres. In the mean time people's appetite for "services" will have been wetted and there will be no contraction of big government.

 

[Beaver-Cleaver]

In typical Carter fashion, the new admin is going to try to save what's left of the budget by cutting back on the essential obstacle protecting American freedom....the military.

Change is coming....



Levin: Expect Huge, Painful Cuts in Defense Budget

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 1:03 PM

Article Font Size

WASHINGTON -- A Senate defense committee chairman says Pentagon budget will include large, painful cuts. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said Tuesday that major program cuts will not be pushed off until the 2011 budget, but will be included when Defense Secretary Robert Gates sends his spending plan to the president later this month.

Levin's comments confirmed what many contractors and military leaders have expected, but he offered no details on which programs may be axed. He said Pentagon officials have indicated they will not be able to submit the much-anticipated spending plan by April 21, as initially hoped.

The Michigan Democrat also told reporters at a breakfast meeting that he is reserving judgment on whether the multi-billion-dollar contract for replacement of the Air Force's aging refueling tankers should go to one company or be split between two rival bidders. Other key lawmakers have suggested a split.

The Air Force selected Northrop Grumman/EADS over competitor Boeing Co. for the aerial tanker project last year, but reopened the bidding after the Government Accounting Office found flaws with the decision.


Newsmax.com - Levin: Expect Huge, Painful Cuts in Defense Budget

Afraid about losing your job there foodcritic?

It's ok.

You and anyone else who loses jobs at PAX can just train in a new industry and settle for a lower-paying job there. That's been the advice from the SOMD Righties so far.

 

[lisa8439]

Afraid about losing your job there foodcritic?

It's ok.

You and anyone else who loses jobs at PAX can just train in a new industry and settle for a lower-paying job there. That's been the advice from the SOMD Righties so far.

I think the 'advice' is that it is better to have A JOB than to have none - i.e. sponge off of the government. Hopefully any job loss will be minimal - but if you have to take a lower paying job in order to HAVE ONE then so be it. Hell, I'd go work at WAWA in order to put food on the table even though I have a masters degree. Yeah life sucks sometimes but I'd advocate getting into a different industry and actually WORKING before I'd advocate sitting on your A$$ all day and expecting the taxpayers to foot your bills...

 

[CrashTest]

how about the followin:

Things will be worse in 4 years BUT
Dems will remain in power as they will be the only "Hope we can believe in".

One of the great concerns is that the socialist policies being put in place will be entrenched at the end of this administration and that putting the economy back on a free market basis will take decadres. In the mean time people's appetite for "services" will have been wetted and there will be no contraction of big government.

Then I'm out. I've already been searching job sites in New Zealand.

 

[Zguy28]

Gates outlines military spending overhaul

Gates outlines military spending overhaul
$140 million-per-plane F-22 stealth fighter is on the chopping block

Gates outlines military spending overhaul - Politics- msnbc.com

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday recommended halting production of the F-22 fighter jet and scrapping a new helicopter for the president as he outlined deep cuts to many of the military's biggest weapons programs.

Gates said his $534 billion budget proposal represents a "fundamental overhaul" in defense acquisition and reflects a shift in priorities from fighting conventional wars to the newer threats U.S. forces face from insurgents in places such as Afghanistan.

The department must ensure it has the right programs and money to "fight the wars we are in today and the scenarios we are most likely to face in the years to come, while at the same time providing a hedge against other risks," Gates said as he revealed details of his budget for the next fiscal year.

The promised emphasis on budget paring is a reversal from the Bush years, which included a doubling of the Pentagon's spending since 2001. Spending on tanks, fighter planes, ships, missiles and other weapons accounted for about a third of all defense spending last year. But Gates noted more money will be needed in areas such as personnel as the Army and Marines expand the size of their forces.

Congressional opposition
Gates will likely face stiff resistance in Congress, where lawmakers are wary of losing defense contractor jobs with an economy in crisis. Some defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin Corp. have warned of huge layoffs if programs are cut.

Production of the F-22 fighter jet, which cost $140 million apiece, would be halted at 187. Plans to build a new helicopter for the president and a helicopter to rescue downed pilots would be canceled. A new communications satellite would be scrapped and the program for a new Air Force transport plane would be ended.

Some of the Pentagon's most expensive programs would also be scaled back. The Army's $160 billion Future Combat Systems modernization program would lose its armored vehicles. Plans to build a shield to defend against missile attacks by rogue states would also be scaled back.

Full article at link...

 

[Gwydion]

In typical Carter fashion, the new admin is going to try to save what's left of the budget by cutting back on the essential obstacle protecting American freedom....the military.

Maybe if yall would, ya know, do your job instead of browse internet forums while at work, you could get a single project done on time and save your own asses.

 

[clevalley]

God help y'all if you're right. Houses around here wouldn't be worth crap under that scenario.

Remember the Clinton administration? It will be about the same... if not worse. We are preparing.

Obama has been looking to slash the Presidential Helo project, if it has not been done so already.

 

[clevalley]

Maybe if yall would, ya know, do your job instead of browse internet forums while at work, you could get a single project done on time and save your own asses.

My job is to test network bandwidth, and I am doing a damn good job at it.

 

[Zguy28]

Remember the Clinton administration? It will be about the same... if not worse. We are preparing.

Obama has been looking to slash the Presidential Helo project, if it has not been done so already.

Read the article I bumped this thread with. ^^^

 

[FromTexas]

Remember the Clinton administration? It will be about the same... if not worse. We are preparing.

Obama has been looking to slash the Presidential Helo project, if it has not been done so already.

You didn't read the news today, did you? Presidential helo was one of the first to go.

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - A new presidential helicopter, cited by President Barack Obama as a symbol of government spending run amok, became an early casualty on Monday in a new campaign to control costly Pentagon programs.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, unveiling his defense budget recommendations for fiscal year 2010, said he would terminate the Lockheed Martin Corp VH-71 helicopter program, criticized for cost-overruns that make it more expensive than Air Force One, the president's high-tech Boeing 747.

 

[Beaver-Cleaver]

My job is to test network bandwidth, and I am doing a damn good job at it.

 

[SEABREEZE 1957]

You didn't read the news today, did you? Presidential helo was one of the first to go.

Actually, he is 'recommending', & his recommendations have to be approved by Congress. Here's a link to the entire speech:

DefenseLink Speech:

First, I recommend that we terminate the VH-71 presidential helicopter:
• This program was originally designed to provide 23 helicopters to support the president at a cost of $6.5 billion. Today, the program is estimated to cost over $13 billion, has fallen six years behind schedule, and runs the risk of not delivering the requested capability.
• Some have suggested that we should adjust the program by buying only the lower capability “increment one” option. I believe this is neither advisable nor affordable. Increment One helicopters do not meet requirements and are estimated to have only a five- to 10-year useful life. This compares to the current VH-3 presidential helicopters that are 30 to 40 years old.
• We will promptly develop options for an FY11 follow-on program.

 

[FromTexas]

Actually, he is 'recommending', & his recommendations have to be approved by Congress. Here's a link to the entire speech:

DefenseLink Speech:

Obama doesn't want it (the customer) and Gates doesn't want it. They want something different. Nothing you posted changes that. Also, he is not "recommending", since Obama will be submitting this budget to Congress. That is the President's budget - his request.

 

[Zguy28]

Actually, he is 'recommending', & his recommendations have to be approved by Congress. Here's a link to the entire speech:

DefenseLink Speech:

You can pretty much take it to the bank that if the SoD "recommends" budget cuts to the DoD, they are gonna happen.

What floored me from the article I posted yesterday was this:

The Government Accountability Office reported last week that 96 of the Pentagon's biggest weapons contracts were over budget by a "staggering" figure of $296 billion.

 

[HeavyChevy75]

In January I left the Pres Helo project for something else. Franky, I am not surprised this is happening to it.

 

[Peter Forsberg]

I think the 'advice' is that it is better to have A JOB than to have none - i.e. sponge off of the government. Hopefully any job loss will be minimal - but if you have to take a lower paying job in order to HAVE ONE then so be it. Hell, I'd go work at WAWA in order to put food on the table even though I have a masters degree. Yeah life sucks sometimes but I'd advocate getting into a different industry and actually WORKING before I'd advocate sitting on your A$$ all day and expecting the taxpayers to foot your bills...

 

[SEABREEZE 1957]

Obama doesn't want it (the customer) and Gates doesn't want it. They want something different. Nothing you posted changes that. Also, he is not "recommending", since Obama will be submitting this budget to Congress. That is the President's budget - his request.

Sorry, guess I wasn't clear by quoting the SoD. Not implying the SoD's 'recommendation' will not be taken, it's how he stated it though.

In my opinion, the American taxpayers are the ultimate 'customer' since they are funding the project. The pilots (aka 'the fleet') who fly the a/c are the operational 'customer'.

Obama and Government officials who utilize the Presidential helo are users.

The Federal Budget process begins the first Monday in February of each year and should be concluded by October 1, the start of the new Federal Fiscal Year. In some -- make that most -- years, the October 1 date is not met.

Here is how the process is supposed to work.
The President Submits a Budget Proposal to Congress
Following the procedure required by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the President presents a budget proposal for the coming Fiscal Year to Congress on or before the first Monday in February.
Based on the input of the federal agencies, the president's budget proposal projects estimated spending, revenue, and borrowing levels broken down by functional categories for the coming fiscal year to start October 1.

The president's budget proposal serves as a "starting point" for the Congress to consider. Congress is under no obligation to adopt all or any of the President's budget and often makes significant changes. However, since the President must ultimately approve all future bills they propose, Congress is often reluctant to completely ignore the priorities of the President's budget.

Presidential Budget Proposal - The President's Role in the U.S. Federal Budget Process