How to Be a Cheap Hawk

Michael E. O&#039;Hanlon

doi:10.5771/9780815708100

Summary

Two important events in 1997--the balanced-budget deal and the completion of the Pentagon's Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR)--promise to shape U.S. military policy for the next several years. Unfortunately, they are at odds with each other. The balanced budget accord will result in a real level of defense spending that is 8 percent lower in 2002 than in 1998. But the proportionate cuts in personnel and weaponry that the QDR calls for are only about half that size. Moreover, the U.S. military is near the end of its so-called "procurement holiday" and will soon have to buy more equipment. In this study, Michael O'Hanlon suggests a way out of this budgetary fix. In contrast to the current U.S. military posture, built around a requirement to fight two Desert-Storm like wars at once, he offers an alternative force structure organized around the concept of a "Desert Storm plus Desert Shield plus Bosnia/IFOR" requirement. O'Hanlon also suggests that naval operations be conducted more efficiently by leaving ships on forward station for longer periods of time and rotating crews by airlift. Finally, he argues for a number of selected economies in weapons modernization programs, together with some increases in areas like strategic airlift, sealift, and transport helicopters. The resulting force would save over $10 billion a year.

Search publication

Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2010
ISBN-Print: 978-0-8157-6443-4
ISBN-Online: 978-0-8157-0810-0
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 178
Product type: Book Titles

1. CONTENTS No access
1. The U.S. Role in the World and the QDR No access
2. The Main Elements of the QDR No access
3. The QDR in Context No access
4. Next Steps No access
1. The Defense Drawdown No access
2. Defense and the Federal Budget No access
3. U.S. Defense Spending in International Perspective No access
4. Budget Pressures and Future Requirements No access
5. Why Privatization and Acquisition Reform Won't Save the Day No access
6. Why NATO Expansion Won't Bust the Bank No access
7. Conclusion No access
1. Rethink the "One Size Fits All" Approach to Theater War No access
2. Change Overseas Naval Presence No access
3. Reduce Nuclear Forces While Enhancing Safety and Defenses No access
1. Defense Industry Consolidation No access
2. A "Revolution in Military Affairs"? No access
3. Tactical Combat Aircraft No access
4. Army Helicopters No access
5. The V-22 Osprey No access
6. Attack Submarines No access
7. B-2s and Arsenal Ships No access
1. Qualitative Impressions of Readiness No access
2. Funding for Readiness No access
3. Readiness of Equipment No access
4. Readiness of Troops No access
5. Casualties No access
6. Other Readiness Issues No access
7. Conclusion No access
1. A No access
2. B No access
3. C No access
4. D No access
5. E No access
6. F No access
7. G No access
8. H No access
9. I No access
10. J No access
11. K No access
12. L No access
13. M No access
14. N No access
15. O No access
16. P No access
17. Q No access
18. R No access
19. S No access
20. T No access
21. U No access
22. V No access
23. W No access
24. Y No access
25. Z No access