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Green Arrow
03-03-2017, 01:18 PM
In President Trump's first address to U.S. service members back on February 6, he promised a big buildup of our military so our troops could have the very best equipment, and simultaneously vowed to our enemies that we would do whatever it took to defeat them with this new military buildup.

Unfortunately, that military buildup does not seem to extend to the U.S. Coast Guard. Even Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter (CA-50), one of the president's biggest and earliest backers, criticized this move.

Via Foreign Policy (http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/02/trump-military-build-up-threatens-to-cut-u-s-coast-guard-budget-cuts-department-of-homeland-security/):


While U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday touted a dramatic buildup of the U.S. military aboard the Navy’s newest carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, his government quietly unveiled plans to gut the the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Office of Management and Budget is targeting roughly 10 percent budget cuts for the tiny and always cash-strapped military branch. One Republican lawmaker now warns those cuts could cripple the under-resourced and overstretched Coast Guard’s efforts to protect 95,000 miles of American coastline and U.S. interests abroad, playing an especially big role in interdicting drug smugglers.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), member of the House Armed Services Committee, railed at Trump’s budget plans.

“It’s nonsensical to pursue a policy of rebuilding the Armed Forces while proposing large reductions to the U.S. Coast Guard budget,” he wrote in a letter to the president Thursday. Cutting the Coast Guard’s budget would “serve to the detriment of U.S. national security and create exposures that will most certainly be exploited by transnational criminal networks and other dangerous actors,” he wrote.

The $1.3 billion cut to the U.S. Coast Guard in fiscal year 2018 includes a directive to scrap the building of a $500 million ship, the newest National Security Cutter (NSC).

Peter1469
03-03-2017, 03:54 PM
The Coast Guard needs modernization. And more ice breakers.

Green Arrow
03-03-2017, 06:10 PM
The Coast Guard needs modernization. And more ice breakers.

Not gonna get that with budget cuts.

Peter1469
03-03-2017, 06:50 PM
Not gonna get that with budget cuts.

true

MisterVeritis
03-03-2017, 06:51 PM
If the CG must wait, they must wait. The 50+ billion is not enough to restore the massive damage Obama's neglect and the Republicans squishiness caused.

Peter1469
03-03-2017, 06:59 PM
If the CG must wait, they must wait. The 50+ billion is not enough to restore the massive damage Obama's neglect and the Republicans squishiness caused.

The Coast Guard actually sent lots of boats to the Persian Gulf to support the various operations.

Don
03-03-2017, 07:18 PM
We've modified the services over the years with the changing times. Airplanes were incorporated in the Army and then the Army air corp and finally the Air Force. Maybe the Coast Guard could be rolled into the Navy. I've thought maybe we should increase the size of the Marine Corp and use them as our main strike force. Keep the Army training centers and command structure and a force of career people but concentrate more on the National Guard units supplying them with much of the equipment the Army has now. If we get into a major war equipment and manpower would come from those units and be under the control of the Army for the duration of the conflict. Of course I'm no general or admiral, just spit balling.

del
03-03-2017, 07:18 PM
The Coast Guard actually sent lots of boats to the Persian Gulf to support the various operations.
pretty much every landing craft at d-day on omaha beach had a coastie crew.

https://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/h_normandy.asp

Don
03-03-2017, 07:19 PM
The Coast Guard actually sent lots of boats to the Persian Gulf to support the various operations.

They were in Vietnam too.

Green Arrow
03-03-2017, 07:36 PM
If the CG must wait, they must wait. The 50+ billion is not enough to restore the massive damage Obama's neglect and the Republicans squishiness caused.

We're not talking about waiting. The president is flat-out cutting a chunk out of the Coast Guard's already cash-strapped budget. That's not restoring damage, it's doing damage.

MisterVeritis
03-03-2017, 10:02 PM
The Coast Guard actually sent lots of boats to the Persian Gulf to support the various operations.
One must set priorities. The CG is a far lower priority than everything else. They always have been.

MisterVeritis
03-03-2017, 10:03 PM
We're not talking about waiting. The president is flat-out cutting a chunk out of the Coast Guard's already cash-strapped budget. That's not restoring damage, it's doing damage.
The President has lots of damage to repair. The CG is a bill payer for something else. It is not a big deal.

MisterVeritis
03-03-2017, 10:04 PM
We've modified the services over the years with the changing times. Airplanes were incorporated in the Army and then the Army air corp and finally the Air Force. Maybe the Coast Guard could be rolled into the Navy. I've thought maybe we should increase the size of the Marine Corp and use them as our main strike force. Keep the Army training centers and command structure and a force of career people but concentrate more on the National Guard units supplying them with much of the equipment the Army has now. If we get into a major war equipment and manpower would come from those units and be under the control of the Army for the duration of the conflict. Of course I'm no general or admiral, just spit balling.
We have tried using the reserves and national guard before with poor results.

Don
03-03-2017, 11:51 PM
We have tried using the reserves and national guard before with poor results.

I'm thinking an Army trained and better equipped National Guard with a few more full time people at each unit.

AeonPax
03-04-2017, 12:13 AM
The President has lots of damage to repair. The CG is a bill payer for something else. It is not a big deal.
`
What damage? Proof?

Don
03-04-2017, 12:31 AM
For starters flying combat planes with spare parts scrounged from older planes mothballed in the Arizona desert. Those planes weren't designed to be used that much or that long.

Cletus
03-04-2017, 03:20 AM
One must set priorities. The CG is a far lower priority than everything else. They always have been.

They shouldn't be. The Coast Guard is the one branch with a real world mission in time of peace as well as war. They should be on even ground with the other services.

Peter1469
03-04-2017, 07:20 AM
`
What damage? Proof?
The military is broken after a decade plus of war.

MisterVeritis
03-04-2017, 09:05 AM
I'm thinking an Army trained and better equipped National Guard with a few more full time people at each unit.
I led a training team to support the reserves and national guard units west of the Mississippi river. It will take more than a few full time people in each unit.

MisterVeritis
03-04-2017, 09:09 AM
They shouldn't be. The Coast Guard is the one branch with a real world mission in time of peace as well as war. They should be on even ground with the other services.
I understand your opinion. They are not on par with the rest of the services. Neither are the Marines. I see it today as a Navy-Air Force then Army, then Marines, and down the list the Coast Guard. Who fights in Space and Cyber? Maybe it is time to reconsider roles and missions.

MisterVeritis
03-04-2017, 09:11 AM
`
What damage? Proof?
Military forces are worn out. Our equipment is old. We are not first class anymore. While we wasted treasure and blood others modernized their forces. It will take about a trillion new dollars to replace what should be replaced. We will do it at a rate of about 50 billion additional dollars per year.

Cthulhu
03-04-2017, 09:41 AM
In President Trump's first address to U.S. service members back on February 6, he promised a big buildup of our military so our troops could have the very best equipment, and simultaneously vowed to our enemies that we would do whatever it took to defeat them with this new military buildup.

Unfortunately, that military buildup does not seem to extend to the U.S. Coast Guard. Even Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter (CA-50), one of the president's biggest and earliest backers, criticized this move.

Via Foreign Policy (http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/02/trump-military-build-up-threatens-to-cut-u-s-coast-guard-budget-cuts-department-of-homeland-security/):
Technically, the coast guard isn't military. They are under the DHS now.

Fear profits a man nothing.

Cthulhu
03-04-2017, 09:44 AM
I understand your opinion. They are not on par with the rest of the services. Neither are the Marines. I see it today as a Navy-Air Force then Army, then Marines, and down the list the Coast Guard. Who fights in Space and Cyber? Maybe it is time to reconsider roles and missions.
And do away with redundancy.

With present technology, they should develop an Orbital Corps soon. Coast guard should go back to the Navy.

Fear profits a man nothing.

AeonPax
03-04-2017, 05:44 PM
The military is broken after a decade plus of war.
`
Peter; I sincerely believe the entire pentagon staff is corrupt, in one way or another. I have little or no faith in them. I have a brother, younger than myself as I'm the oldest, who spent six years in the army, in both Afghanistan (primarily) and ending up in Iraq. (image of me and him (https://s4.postimg.org/3ue30h819/Me_Bro.jpg)) It is after listening to him (among many other war Vets) and his veteran buddies, whereby a draw many of my conclusions.

The top US military echelon has always been morally broke. I'll agree with you there.

AeonPax
03-04-2017, 05:58 PM
Military forces are worn out. Our equipment is old. We are not first class anymore. While we wasted treasure and blood others modernized their forces. It will take about a trillion new dollars to replace what should be replaced. We will do it at a rate of about 50 billion additional dollars per year.
`
And instead of having good management skills to living within a set budget, the corrupt pentagon spends money with little or no accountability. Now speaking of a trillion dollars; Military Admits Trillion Dollar F-35 Program is a Failure (http://www.activistpost.com/2016/03/military-admits-trillion-dollar-f-35-program-is-a-failure.html).

Peter1469
03-04-2017, 07:43 PM
`
Peter; I sincerely believe the entire pentagon staff is corrupt, in one way or another. I have little or no faith in them. I have a brother, younger than myself as I'm the oldest, who spent six years in the army, in both Afghanistan (primarily) and ending up in Iraq. (image of me and him (https://s4.postimg.org/3ue30h819/Me_Bro.jpg)) It is after listening to him (among many other war Vets) and his veteran buddies, whereby a draw many of my conclusions.

The top US military echelon has always been morally broke. I'll agree with you there.
I am talking about the equipment primarily. The troops that deployed repeatedly are worn out as well.

Peter1469
03-04-2017, 07:48 PM
The F-35 has cost a lot more than projected. But it is not a failure. It out performs our expectations. It kicked ass at Red Flag.

It looks like the controversial F-35 is holding its own at Red Flag exercise underway at Nellis AFB. (https://theaviationist.com/2017/02/05/f-35s-kill-ratio-with-aggressors-stands-at-151-during-red-flag-17-1-most-probably-thanks-to-the-supporting-f-22/)

According to the pilots (http://www.defensenews.com/articles/red-flag-gives-f-35a-its-toughest-test-yet) from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings at Hill AFB, Utah, who deployed the F-35A Lightning II to the airbase off Las Vegas on Jan. 20 and began flying in the exercise Jan. 23, the type, at its debut in the world’s most realistic and challenging exercise, has achieved a 15:1 kill ratio against the Aggressors, F-16s that replicate the paint schemes, markings and insignia of their near peer adversaries (https://theaviationist.com/2012/02/05/splinter-su35/) and whose role is to threaten strike packages in the same way a modern enemy would do in a real war.



`
And instead of having good management skills to living within a set budget, the corrupt pentagon spends money with little or no accountability. Now speaking of a trillion dollars; Military Admits Trillion Dollar F-35 Program is a Failure (http://www.activistpost.com/2016/03/military-admits-trillion-dollar-f-35-program-is-a-failure.html).

AeonPax
03-05-2017, 02:43 AM
The F-35 has cost a lot more than projected. But it is not a failure. It out performs our expectations. It kicked ass at Red Flag.
`
The 1.2 Trillion dollar piece of shit is still getting grounded. Military waste, corruption and gross ineptitude is still at an all-time high. The U.S. Army Lost Track of $6.5 Trillion (https://warisboring.com/the-u-s-army-lost-track-of-6-5-trillion-16bd2f43ba30#.kj7l3qf6a)

Peter1469
03-05-2017, 08:01 AM
`
The 1.2 Trillion dollar piece of shit is still getting grounded. Military waste, corruption and gross ineptitude is still at an all-time high. The U.S. Army Lost Track of $6.5 Trillion (https://warisboring.com/the-u-s-army-lost-track-of-6-5-trillion-16bd2f43ba30#.kj7l3qf6a)

That is two issues. The F-35 is new tech. All military weapon systems had glitches when developed. The F-35 has most of those glitches fixed. And a 15:1 kill ratio at Red Flag is not indicative of failure.

I know the DoD has accounting problems. I also doubt that it is possible to lose $6.5T. I imagine a lot of that money is put into black budgets, perhaps into programs that congress is not aware of.