Think tank to Pentagon: Here’s where to cut

It
was prepared by Stimson’s 17-member defense advisory committee, which
includes  “two former
vice chairmen of the Joint Chiefs, a former Air Force chief and a former chief
of naval operations.

{mosads}“Adopting this new strategy and making the corresponding
budget adjustments we recommend makes a lot more sense than cutting blindly and
causing tremendous harm,” Stimson Co-founder Barry Blechman said in a statement
accompanying the report’s release.

The Pentagon’s proposed 2014 budget is $52 billion above the
sequester-level caps, which means that the military would face another
across-the-board cut if the budget is not lowered and sequester is not averted.

The Stimson report suggests that the Pentagon would be wise to propose making the cuts in advance, rather than holding out for a
sequester fix and being subject to another across-the-board cut.

The proposed cuts from Stimson include reductions in military pay and
benefits — a frequent Pentagon target opposed by Congress — and a reduction in
excess personnel at headquarters and defense agencies.

The report suggests $21.4 billion can be saved through force
structure changes, including reducing the Army and Marine Corps and a reduction
in existing nuclear forces.

The report also calls for canceling programs like the
Ground Combat Vehicle and Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, and slowing F-35
purchases.

You can read the full report, titled “Strategic Agility,” here.