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Johner Wical
Professor Deborah Kellner
ENGL 0099
11 April 2017
Two Magazines
Breaking Trust, by Thomas Donnelly and Gary Schmitt, examines the lack of resources

our military has for training and equipment that enable us to be prepared for a wartime event.

This stems from the Budget Control Act in 2011 which decimated spending funds for our

military. Under President Barack Hussein Obamas administration our once powerful military is

shrinking in record numbers. According to the authors our Navy fleet that once stood at 600

ships is now headed for roughly 250. Our Air Force once had 188 fighter squadrons will likely be

cut down to 49. These moves have directly affected the combat readiness of our troops.
I find these moves by the Obama Administration to be quite disturbing. They directly

affecting the quality of soldiers we put out on the battle field. Being a soldier myself, I know that

training is very critical to being successful in the battle field. Most of my time in the Army, we

trained for war time scenarios. We had some of the most outdated equipment you could imagine.

Our ranges for practicing with our weapons were very worn out as well. I believe these cuts will

directly impact the performances on the battle field. We are short-changing our men and woman

who voluntarily swore to protect our freedom.

Obama's Defense-Spending Crisis, by Max Boot, informs us how defense budget cuts
will leave the United States ill prepared to face conflicts once they have erupted. The Department
of Defense spent $705 billion in 2011. The total amount requested by the Department of Defense
for 2015 is $495.6 billion. That is $400 million less than the amount budgeted for the current
year, a decrease of nearly 30 percent. This trend is projected to continue, declining to a

minuscule 2.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product by 2024. This would make it the lowest level

since 1940. Boots claims that we are in danger of crippling the United States military.
The government is trying to make budget cuts to save its own butt from the growing

national deficit. The article goes on to tell how out of control entitlement spending is in the

United States. Our military is involved in cybersecurity, drug interdiction, and plenty of
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humanitarian aid. We are also keeping sea lanes safeguarded all around the globe. With the

defense cuts put in place we now have 30 percent less in resources, while trying to stay at the

same pace. While conflicts are escalating with foreign rulers around the world, we are choking

the life out of our military instead of growing it. We are truly setting up our men and woman who

wear the uniform for failure.

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Works Cited

Boot, M. (2014, 05). Obama's defense-spending crisis. Commentary, 137, 26-31.

Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1521122027?
accountid=2909

Donnelly, T., & Schmitt, G. (2015, Feb 16). Breaking trust. The Weekly Standard, 20,

7-8. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1655132346?

accountid=2909