Defense Budget Cut By 10 Percent
Robert Kagan, a Washington Post columnist and senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, writes that federal government is prepared to cut defense spending by 10 percent. He lists several reasons why this is a bad idea, one of which concerns missile defense:
“Similarly, the Obama administration is right to want to begin negotiations with Russia over missile defense and arms control. But it is a poor opening gambit to announce a cut in American defense spending before negotiations even begin. If Russian leaders believe that the United States is looking for a way out of weapons systems — missile defense in particular — they will negotiate accordingly. They might ask why they should make a deal at all.”
That Russia will perceive U.S. defense cuts as a sign that out country is backing off plans to build missile defense shields in Poland and the Czech Republic is obvious. Now is not the time to show weakness or equivocation when it comes to missile defense. Countries like North Korea are getting bolder, and the U.S. must continue to develop a strong and comprehensive missile defense system.
Tags: Barack Obama, Czech Republic, defense spending, North Korea, Poland, Russia