Gates' budget

An article in the WaPo on Gates' proposed budget, program reviews, and some of the anticipated cuts. (An 4% overall budget increase.) The story is that Gates and the military were asking for alot more than that, and are now being forced to find cuts to hit their priorities.

The biggest proposed increases have to do with overseas stationing and raising the inventory of current production equipment.

The cuts sound like they're coming from "future development" programs with the biggest in that "Future Combat Systems" boondoggle (that Rumsfeld championed) that no one has had the courage to touch because so much has been spent on it so far.

(It is notable that Gates didn't go to the NATO 60th anniversary. This story says he stayed home to navigate the politics of this budget.)