Pres. Obama on Defense

President Obama has posted his position on all the big issues. In the following weeks I'm going to comment on his position. Check it out for yourself at www.whitehouse.gov but watch out my porn blocker won't let me go to www.whitehouse.com who knows what that means! who knows what that means.

Disclaimer I am very much a layman when it comes to military issues. I have values but not a whole lot of knowledge about the nuts and bolts of how it works. Here is what the President says:


President Obama and Vice President Biden will invest in a 21st century military to maintain our conventional advantage while increasing our capacity to defeat the threats of tomorrow. They will ensure our troops have the training, equipment and support that they need when they are deployed.

Invest in a 21st Century Military
meh... aside from funding what is the military asking for?

Expand to Meet Military Needs on the Ground:
I would support an increase of military population but are we talking about accountants/cooks/janitors/bureacrats necessary for the militray to function or actual fighting soliders.

Leadership from the Top:
I am in support of this.

Lighten the Burdens on Our Brave Troops and Their Families:
sounds nice

Build Defense Capabilities for the 21st Century

Fully Equip Our Troops for the Missions They Face:
okay

Review Weapons Programs:
I guess this is a nice way of saying that we will not be continuing n the Star Wars proggram.

Preserve Global Reach in the Air:

The Air Force gets the first nod. Meh, I'd give it to the fighting soliders which exist in all of the branches of the military.

Maintain Power Projection at Sea:

second nod to the navy.

National Missile Defense:
yeah they are cutting down missile defense

Ensure Freedom of Space:
yeah they are cutting star wars too

Protect the U.S in Cyberspace:

cool

Restore the Readiness of the National Guard and Reserves
Equip, Support, and Modernize the National Guard and Reserves: "They will make the head of the National Guard a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff..." that seems huge to me and will ruffle a lot of feathers but I think will help maintain our local military population.

Develop Whole of Government Initiatives to Promote Global Stability
Integrate Military and Civilian Efforts:

meh, I am sure someone in the field understands this better than me.

Create a Civilian Assistance Corps (CAC):
If this is a means to split the military into fighting troops and support personel (with different classification and benefits) I support it.

Restore Our Alliances
Engage Our Allies in Meeting Our Common Security Challenges:

that's nice... we'll see how it goes.

Organize to Help Our Partners and Allies in Need:
"win hearts and minds in the process"
okay sounds cool.

Reform Contracting

Create Transparency for Military Contractors:

meh

Restore Honesty, Openness, and Commonsense to Contracting and Procurement:

I've heard that no-bid contracting is bad... that is about it.