| OCR Text |
Show June 10, 1993 Hilltop Times 7 U.S. can still maintain ready, capable forces Deputy defense secretary spells out six strategies DOD must employ to retain readiness . edge in era of shrinking budget. The United States can cut the defense budget safely and still have ready, capable forces if DOD employs six strategies over the next four years, Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Perry said. By the late 1990s, DOD's "top line budget" will have decreased 40 percent or more compared to 1985, Perry predicted. "We are going to take the defense budget from about 6 percent gross national product down to about 3 percent; from over 25 percent of the federal budget to about 13 percent," Perry told Cruise Missiles Association members at their recent annual meeting in Washington. But international political problems continue to exist that could erupt into war in the next three to five years, he warned. "So, the big challenge facing us in defense management today is how to maintain the readiness of our forces and high technology in the face of this major budget decrease," he said. He said DOD will follow six strategies during the next four years to keep the armed forces strong. First, the department will try to keep a proper balance in four major accounts: personnel, operations and maintenance, modernization and technology. After Vietnam, DOD tried to maintain force structure. Perry said the number of Army divisions, for example, was kept high even though there were not enough soldiers to man them effectively. As the budget dropped, the operations and maintenance and modernization accounts decreased disproportionately. "And that's what led to the 'hollow force,' " he said. To keep the four components in balance, force structure must be reduced. "We have taken one significant action on that in the last few months," he base force from the said. "We inherited the Bush administration, which entailed a decrease of active-dut- y forces from 2.1 million to 1.6. We protake to that down further to 1.4 million." posed Force structure changes include cutting two Army divisions, reducing the Navy's battle fleet from 443 to 413 and cutting Air Force fighter wings from 28 so-call- to 24. Maintaining morale The second strategy is to maintain morale. In the decrease in force size, Perry said face of a one-thir- d wake its volunteer military to leave their jobs because the department does not have enough resources to support them. "That's a tough prospect," he said. "One specific action we've taken already and which we will continue to implement is to use what industry calls 'early-ou- t techniques.' That is to provide special benefits that offer incentives to retire early to both forces and military people in the active-dut- y benefits alone will not civilians." Perhaps early-ou- t prevent flagging morale, he said, but they can help ensure that most separations will be voluntary and DOD will not need to resort to reductions in force. The third strategy is to reduce infrastructure and overhead costs proportionally to the budget decrease. This is in many ways the most difficult strategy to implement, said Perry. Typically during a drawdown in any organization, personnel are easiest to cut. But infrastructure and overhead must be cut, too. DOD is now asking far 1 Guaranteed! FASHION EYEWEAR 20 Any Off 1 CSC (Expiration 63093) PREMIUM PACK 2 Pairs for $69 Selection from image with single vision Lm Pof Inner Crirmac Special order Frames contact Lenses No Appointments Necessary Free Adjustments 4 Best Iriicl I Frame With Your complete Order 11 Technological edge to The fifth strategy is maintain a technological edge. Though difficult because of budget cuts, it will be critical, said Perry. The sixth strategy is to maintain the readiness of DOD forces, regardless of number. "Our responsibility is that each unit in that force will be in a state of readiness and modernization to be the most capable fighting force in the world," he said. "And they must be ready at all times because we don't know where or when the need will occur." Perry concluded, "British novelist Graham Not once said, 'There always comes a moment Greene enough "We are now going through the third round of in time when the door opens and lets the future in.' base closings," he said. "If you've followed the news, Well, with the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, the you know it's much more substantial than any of Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, that mothe previous base closings. We are taking quite a ment in time has come. The door has opened. Our lot of criticism for going too far and too deep. My responsibility now is to see the future out there and report to you is that we have not gone nearly far do what we can to shape it so that life will be comfortable for our children and grandchildren." enough." Lowest Prices ! Perry added that accumulated base closures and realignments for 1988, 1991 and 1993 have not developed a 15 percent reduction of infrastructure. He warned there will not be enough money left for training or modernization if the department does not move farther and faster. The fourth strategy involves the defense industrial base. "How can DOD ensure that companies surviving the drawdown will be capable of minimum production capacity to meet department needs?" Perry asked. Part of the answer depends upon greater emphasis of dual-us- e technology that will enable DOD to use more fully technology and products coming from other segments of industry. He suggested the ideal will be to require program managers to get waivers if they want to use military specifications. Now, they have to get waivers to use commercial items. Nonetheless, some equipment, such as nuclear submarines and tactical fighters, cannot have a dual use. With such critical components, Perry said, DOD must maintain some limited production capability to meet future needs, even when current inventories exceed supply. "We don't want to be in the position of forgetting how to build nuclear submarines," he said. "We'll have to take some action to deal with that problem, not for the purpose of adding to the deployed force in submarines but to maintain a defense industrial base. That's going to be very difficult to conceive the right program for doing that." At the Pavilion Restaurant from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. I The Ogdcn Park Hotel is the place to go on Sundays for our great Buffet Brunch. Join the "Brunch bunch" for the best buy in the city! Featuring; Fresh Fruits A Variety of Cheeses An expansive Salad Bar Omelette Bar Own" "Create Benedict Eggs your Fresh Vegetables Weekly Entree Specials Belgian Waffles An Assortment of Great Desserts l It is a great way to start your week! Join us for the best Sunday Brunch Buffet in the area. Adults 56.95 Senior Citizens $5.95 -- $4.95 Children 2) - - (5-1- , (Expiration L, BX 63093) Betl Weitrrn Bldg. 7437 6th St. HAFB UT 84056 776-336- 8 HOTEl Ogden'l Full Service Hotel AKAHUR HOTEL 24724th Street Ogdcn, Utah Exchange Service Concessionaire CELEBRATE AN AMERICAN TRADITION 50 years of U.S. SAVINGS BONDS |
