Palazzo says stakes too high to shortchange defense spending
By STEVEN PALAZZO
Special to The Mississippi Press
A robust national security is vital to our country’s economic security. Nowhere is this truer than in south Mississippi, where our multi-billion-dollar military industry is a pillar of our economy and way of life.
Recently, the military culture that reverberates through all sectors of south Mississippi has become the target of massive and unsustainable budget cuts.
The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is operating under a premise that, in my opinion, holds our military hostage by threatening to cut $500 billion in defense spending.
Though the “super committee” has missed its deadline to achieve mandated cuts, I remain committed to preventing the balancing of our nation’s budget on the backs of our men and women in uniform, veterans and their families.
The tremendous strain of 10 years of combat operations in the Middle East requires that America reinvest in our troops, equipment and training to enable our force structure to respond to emerging global threats.
The world is not safe. We face Iran and Russia’s growing belligerence and regional hegemony. China’s investments in anti-access technologies are alarming to our interests in the Pacific. If proper reinvestments to our armed forces are not made, China — who has unlimited wants but limited resources — could contest America’s global standing.
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10/26/11
