Defense in the Driver’s Seat

Mackenzie Eaglen /

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

This weekend, the secretary of defense called for additional spending cuts to keep the defense budget flat for the future. But flat budgets aren’t always smart budgets—or even an effective way to cut waste. The defense budget doesn’t need simple cuts. It needs true reform.

The Heritage Foundation has long argued that internal defense-budget imbalances continue to threaten the modernization of America’s military equipment. Real reform—beyond weapons system cuts—must be enacted to funnel money back to this priority. (more…)