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In Defense of Defense Spending

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    Ambassador John Bolton makes the case against automatic cuts in defense spending growth.

  • Duration 6:39
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Hello everyone I'm Liz McDonald really -- very judge -- an apology and -- who returns tomorrow for Thanksgiving special that asks.

-- -- -- -- But tonight we ask what -- our priorities.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has spent the last month warning congress.

About mandatory cuts in defense spending cuts the former congressman and white house budget director says.

The military cannot afford.

All of this says new reports emerged -- -- the Defense Secretary spent nearly half a million dollars of your money.

Flying home to California on the weekends and -- less than six months has been in office so far that's sort of like what other members of congress have been doing -- in the military for -- satellite.

But isn't -- military planes by the way -- is a dollar in defense spending really equal to a dollar in military strength.

Or could we be more secure by spending less here weigh in -- former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton so mister Bolton.

A number had really Republican congressman.

Support.

Cuts in defense spending at senator Tom Coburn Rand Paul Eric Cantor -- said it has to be on the table Haley Barbour where do you come down.

Well I think this is a big.

The stake for the United States there's no doubt there's waste and fraud and abuse in the defense department of course there is it's a government -- agency.

But the money that you can save and defense.

Needs to be plowed back into -- -- have been under spending on defense given the threats we face globally.

And the notion that additional massive cuts in defense appropriations are possible it's gonna leave this country very much in danger.

All right let's be clear we're talking about the Pentagon -- thirty -- agreed to four and fifty billion dollars in cuts as of last summer.

On now we're talking about the automatic death triggers because of the failure of the super -- committee adding about another -- and 92 billion.

That is so that's about a trillion over ten years a hundred billion a year.

Really the Defense Department can't find a hundred billion a year in cots.

Well.

Really it's more than that because have already been 400 billion dollars in cuts in the Obama administration's first three years so it's more in the range of one point five trillion.

And the fact is a lot of what's gonna happen here is we're not gonna be -- for cure.

Weapons systems that we need to face.

For example and newly assertive Chinese military.

To worry about potential threats in the Middle East to worry about.

A newly assertive Russia you know here's what I believe I don't believe the United States should ever be in a fair fight.

I think we ought to be in a position of what the military calls full spectrum dominance.

Because the best wars the war that -- thought and the best way to ensure that that happens.

Is to be in a position that nobody wants.

I know -- point I understudy you know I got to tell you something.

Rather than personal matter and my my mother lost her father my grandfather you know -- -- with mustard gas and world where one should never -- one.

I've got uncles and my father fought -- cream war -- in other words we've got military might family.

And we in my family is all for supporting the -- says I know you are.

But can't -- to -- we support the troops with less spending that's the issue -- -- It'll colonel Douglas Macgregor who's retired as saying look at there's a lot of money in the Pentagon -- spent on.

Cash payoffs he's saying overseas infrastructure aid you know nation building projects offense suspending.

More unjust nation building than just military power -- power can we just find the cuts there do you think.

Well.

I think that there are certainly changes that can be made I'm not a fan of nation building I don't think that amounts to an awful lot of money and I think could be a mistake to believe that even if we save that.

That it would amount to a really substantial savings the let me go back to a point you made at the beginning.

I am fully prepared to argue than a dollar spent on national defense is not the equivalent of -- dollar spent in the Agriculture Department -- the Department of Health and Human Services.

It's a qualitatively.

Different.

A measure of a federal responsibility.

We're not gonna have a strong economy if we don't have a secure world internationally.

By the same token we're not gonna have a strong defense and less well.

Should be and why should the US being the world's policeman all right we've got the military budget nearly -- about this is not and seven -- the SARS or 700 billion dollars.

It's set higher at a higher.

It's higher in real terms and -- time.

During the Cold War so what I mean isn't there I just think that there's room somewhere you got F 35 planes for example 156 million dollars of fees.

And is out there have to be -- there has to be fat marbled through the Pentagon budget that you could cut you know 150 billion a year.

Well.

As I said before there is fact you can -- but but let's be clear in the 1950s.

Defense was sixty to 70%.

Of the federal budget.

And a far greater share of GNP than it is today.

So so in EU looking at the absolute numbers is not the is not the proper metric especially when you consider.

The threats we face from terrorist who are seeking nuclear chemical and biological weapons.

And the strategic threats we face around the world.

You know people talk -- bad that cutting the F 35 cutting the F 22.

As China is developing its new fighter bomber capabilities as the Russians are.

Again into their fifth that a generation of fighter planes and it comes back to this do you do you want our folks to be in a fair fight.

You know -- to -- but we didn't isn't it true in the senator -- -- morning and made -- point of us that we overstated Russia's military strength is -- in -- rather -- serving in the collapse the same might be set of China right now we're seeing economic data that China's struggling right now to be a Paper -- what do you make about.

Give -- the final work.

Want -- flip a coin on it.

I think now you go ahead of what they call it -- out -- that's that that's the point.

This is not the risk that you take if you don't spend enough on the Interior Department.

Or if Medicare payments on aren't high enough this is the survival of the country itself that its stake.

And it's not just weapons systems although those are very much threatened by these kinds.

Across the board we're gonna have to lose military manpower and -- -- our adversaries around the world.

Read these budgets just like we do where the most transparent country in the world but that they -- declining.

They see a declining US military they're going to take advantage important.

-- make their ambassador -- always good to be anything sir thank you so much for your time have a happy and safe Thanksgiving sir thank you so much.

Next up to you and thank you then.

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