By Antonio Gil Morales
On Monday June 22 President Obama went on CBS NEWS and committed to the American public that this administration---and our military---is fully prepared for any contingencies." He was referring to the escalation of tensions between the US and North Korea over the North Koreans open defiance of international law regarding both their nuclear weapons program and continuing illegal arms trading with other rogue and terrorist nations.
As a proud veteran of this nations military I feel more than qualified to talk about being fully prepared" to meet the oppressor and to defend the freedoms that so many of my colleagues have died to protect.
Several weeks ago the Secretary of Defense announced sweeping cuts to the defense budget. As we continue into a period of great instability and uncertainty on the world stage-as IEDs continue to explode in Afghanistan and Iran and while the Taliban attack the Pakistani government and as we watch the Supreme Council in Iran repress the voice of liberty among the hopeful youth of that nation-the administration proposes to severely cut or even cancel some of the most effective and necessary defense programs of all time.
Among the programs proposed for shut down is the C-17 Globemasterthe only wide-bodied large military airlifter" currently in production anywhere in the world. Without the ability to move tanks soldiers and other equipment and supplies into battle or to evacuate innocent civilians or wounded soldiers we have no reliable and combat proven means of aircraft power projection to our troops allies friends and neighbors on the front lines of battles and natural disasters. The cancellation of the C-17 and pink slips" to thousands of workers in California Texas Missouri and Connecticut (among other places) comes after both Candidate Obama and now President Obama on his website stated support for continued production of this aircraft.
Another combat proven program is the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet." The US Navy estimates it is over 200 aircraft short of the jet fighters needed to adequately fill the decks of its aircraft carriers in the future. The only" option to address this shortfall in the near term is continued production of the F/A-18 E/F preferably through a multi-year contract that saves the taxpayer money and helps small suppliers stay in business for this and other defense programs. Sadly this budget contained the bare minimum request for F-18 aircraft and no request for multiyear procurement. This leaves the Navy vulnerable and small defense suppliers without any confidence for future business and thus threatens our critical defense industrial base.
And is if this werent enough the new defense budget also calls for discontinuing the entire ground vehicle program of the Armys much anticipated Future Combat Systems program (FCS). These vehicles were designed and then refined specifically to match the kind of warfare currently experience in US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unlike the existing combat proven C-17 and F-18; FCS is designed for warfare of the futuredeployable mobile and survivable. Even as the Administration cancels the manned ground vehicles of FCS a brand new ground combat vehicle design is being developed but will likely resemble the current FCS family of vehicles but will now be delayed by years getting into our soldiers hands including those experimenting with FCS technology at Ft. Bliss Texas.
In light of the uncertainty of North Koreas recent actions with its long range missile capabilities the recent questionable results of the Iran elections and the current Iraq and Afghanistan military commitments I respectfully question whether we as a nation are committed fully prepared and appropriately equipped to protect the soldiers who make the nation so great and so free today. On behalf of all veterans everywhere I call on this administration to give serious reconsideration to these actions.
Antonio Tony" Morales is the National Commander of the American GI Forum of the United State. The American GI Forum founded in 1948 is the only Congressionally Chartered Hispanic veterans organization and the Second Oldest Hispanic organization in the Country.
