Defense 2015 Preview: Downturn Ends but Industry Troubles Not Over
December 30, 2014
By Sandra Erwin
Pentagon contractors are entering the new year with a mix of caution and optimism. Military spending is about to hit bottom and is projected to inch up over the next several years. With Ashton Carter as defense secretary, the Pentagon gains a leader who has been an ardent critic of budget cuts and will again be on the front lines of that fight.
…Congress’ rejection of the Pentagon’s recommended cuts in fiscal year 2015 will add $70 billion in costs over the next five years. Critics on the right and left have blasted Congress for failing to bring fiscal discipline to the Pentagon. For the defense industry, Congress’ inability to tackle Pentagon bloat means future spending on equipment will be squeezed. Government watchdogs, while cheering defense cuts, worry that Congress continues to play political games with the nation’s defense. The 2015 defense budget is proof of that, said Angela Canterbury, executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. The budget provides “unsurprisingly more funding of last century’s weapons, more budget gimmicks for the Pentagon, and more stuff military leaders don’t want or need.
Click here to read the article on National Defense Magazine.
