Bill Richardson Wants To Cut Defense Spending And Increase Troop Levels

Bill Richardson will deliver a speech today at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. where he will detail his plans for the military. Richardson feels the threats we face today are different, and he says his proposals are “aimed at modernizing the American military to more effectively deal with the changing global threats we face.” He said threats not only come from rouge nations but also underlying social and economic trends like our reliance on fossil fuels. “Restoring American leadership means abandoning rogue cowboy diplomacy. It means giving up the idea of stubbornness as a foreign policy,” he said. “It means restoring those American principles which once allowed us to build the alliances which defeated the Nazis and crumbled the Soviet Union.” Richardson would like to reduce the military budget, and increase the number of troops up by about 50,000. He says we could reduce the budget by getting rid of weapons designed for the Cold War era since the Soviet Union is now extinct. The savings would be used to pay for more troops and help with domestic programs he will propose. “In an age of terrorism, the greatest nuclear threat will come not on a missile, but rather in a suitcase or a cargo hull,” he said. “To meet the danger of nuclear terrorism, we need to reduce the number of weapons in the world, and we need to consolidate and secure fissile material around the globe.” Richardson will also discuss his plans to withdraw all troops from Iraq. In addition, he would stop using private contractors, like Blackwater to provide security in war zones. He plans on cutting back on nuclear warheads production. He also favors canceling production of the Marine Corps V-22 Osprey aircraft and the Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft, while scaling back production of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F-22 Raptor stealth fighter aircraft. With all these savings we might not feel safe, but at least we may have universal health care. His plan might also help safeguard the border. What else would we do with the additional troops if we don’t get ourselves involved in illegal wars in foreign lands?
Alan Cosgrove