Independent Panel Calls Obama’s Downsizing of Military “dangerous”

By Eowyn @DrEowyn

Originally posted on Consortium of Defense Analysts:

Rowan Scarborough reports for The Washington Times that on July 30, 2014, an independent panel appointed by the Pentagon and Congress said Obama’s plan to downsize the armed services is too weak for today’s global threats.

The National Defense Panel called on Obama to dump a major section of his 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and write a broader strategy that requires the military to fight on multiple fronts at once.

It also said the downsizing of U.S. armed forces to fit strategy and budget cuts is a “serious strategic misstep on the part of the United States.”The forces’ numbers spelled out in the 2014 QDRare “inadequate given the future strategic and operational environment.”

Congress authorized the panel of outside experts to review the QDR, a strategy for shaping the active and reserve force. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel appointed the panel’s two co-chairmen:

  • Former Defense Secretary William…

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