Coalition Outlines Billions in Specific Pentagon Spending Reforms for Congress

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) continues to believe that spending reform is one of the most pressing issues for elected officials in Congress today. As budget deadlines pass and Congress gets further away from getting back to regular order, it is critical that Washington find a way to reduce spending, in all areas. The budget of the Pentagon is filled with wasteful spending that should be trimmed both immediately and responsibly. Recently, TPA joined a broad coalition effort sending a letter to Congress not only urging spending reform, but outlining specific cuts that could be realized if politicians had the will to act. The savings proposed totaled $38.6 billion in taxpayer dollars. Those savings come from just seven reforms; imagine how much money taxpayers could be saved if Washington looked at every agency.

Read the letter below:

April 19, 2016

Dear Member of Congress:

As you consider the Pentagon’s budget request for fiscal year 2017, the undersigned groups appreciate your consideration of the following options for savings to comply with the spending caps put in place by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. Keeping the Fiscal Year 2017 budget in line with the caps will help the Department of Defense avoid sequestration and save valuable resources in an era of budgetary constraint. We recommend that in implementing these options, the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account for Fiscal Year 2017 be budgeted at no greater than the president’s requested amount of $59 billion and reject amendments to add additional funds to the OCO account.

Proposal                                                                                 Potential FY17 Savings¹

Cancel M1 Tank Upgrades                                                     $558.7 million

Over 7,500 M1 tank variants have been built for the U.S. Army and Marines since 1990, more than enough to meet current and projected needs. (Production number from Federation for American Scientists: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m1-intro.htm

Proposal                                                                                 Potential FY17 Savings

Cancel or Pause the Littoral Combat Ship                              $1,598.9 million

The LCS is too lightly armored to survive in a combat environment, and has doubled in price relative to initial estimates.  It is an unnecessary drag on the Navy’s shipbuilding budget.

Proposal                                                                                 Potential FY17 Savings

Cancel JLENS                                                                        $45.5 million

The Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) is supposed to track flying objects, but tests have found that it cannot consistently track high priority targets or distinguish friendly aircraft from potential threats.

Proposal                                                                                 Potential FY17 Savings

Cancel Air Launched Cruise Missile Follow-On (LRSO)      $315.9 million

The Long Range Standoff (LRSO) Weapon does not add to the United States’ already robust strategic deterrent. Rather, it performs a redundant mission that can be accomplished with the standoff capability of ICBMs or SLBMs, the new penetrating bomber, or the advanced extended range conventional cruise missile.

Proposal                                                                                 Potential FY17 Savings

Reduce service contracting by 15%                                        $22,354.5 million

Service contracting has contributed to an ever-expanding “shadow government” that costs hundreds of millions of dollars annually. A study by the Project On Government Oversight found the average annual contractor billable rate was much more than the average annual full compensation for federal employees performing comparable services Judicious cuts to service contracts would increase efficiency and the effectiveness of the Department of Defense.

Proposal                                                                                 Potential FY17 Savings

Cancel the F-35/Buy a mix of F-15E Strike                           $4,431 million

Eagles, F-16s, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets

The Joint Strike Fighter is unaffordable, and testing has shown that it cannot perform as well as the legacy systems it is designed to replace.

Proposal                                                                                 Potential FY17 Savings

Defense Business Board Moderate Efficiency Savings Scenario      $9,170.3 million

Modest early retirement option and limited backfill of retirements and attrition of the Defense Department’s work force could result in significant savings.

Proposal                                                                                 Potential FY17 Savings

Cancel or Pause the GBSD                                                     $113.9 million

The current fleet of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) will be operational until 2030 due to a $7 billion life extension program now underway. Given uncertainty over future force requirements and deterrence needs, development of the ICBM follow on, or ground based strategic deterrent (GBSD) is premature.

Total: $38.6 billion

Sincerely,

Campaign for Liberty
Center for Foreign and Defense Policy
Center for International Policy
Council for a Livable World
Downsize DC
Friends Committee on National Legislation
London Center
National Priorities Project
National Taxpayers Union
Niskanen Center
Peace Action
Project on Government Oversight
Republican Liberty Caucus
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Taxpayers for Common Sense
Win Without War
Women’s Action for New Directions