[johnlohanmclee]

Germany plans a major restructuring of their small military. They want to cut the military strength from 250,000 to 163,000 and reduce their defense budget from $38.5 billion to $37.2 billion,

Germany wants to save $4 billion from 2011-2014 by restructuring their military and ending the draft.

Would that work here? Our defense budget is $1 trillion and Congress gave the Pentagon $6 trillion in the last 9 years. Canada's defense budget is $21.8 billion for 100,000 troops.

Germany's will be $37.2 billion for 163,000 troops, including 5,000 deployed in Afghanistan.

If we cut our budget by 5%, it would save $50 billion a year. Gates wants to cut 50 generals and admirals, Russia is cutting 200 flag officers and reducing their size of their military to 1 million by 2016. Our defense department and military has 3 million troops, 700,000 contractors and 2 million civilians.

Do we want to continue to be the world's policeman (since 1898 with the invasion of Cuba and the Phillipines), or should we reduce our size and costs to make our military more professional and nimble?

Our 950 flag officers say they can't get enough qualified American youth to serve; many have waivers for drugs, felonies, and mental problems.

According to the New York Times, German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg unveiled plans to restructure Germany’s armed forces in what is regarded as one of the most radical military shake-ups since the end of the Cold War (fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989).

The measures include ending conscription (the draft, dummies!), reducing the Bundeswehr, or armed forces, to 163,000 from 250,000 and streamlining the command structures. The goal is to turn the military into a highly professional and flexible corps.

Mr. Guttenberg hopes that by reducing the standing army by nearly 90,000 troops, he can find more and better-trained soldiers to serve in NATO or E.U. international missions.

Mr. Guttenberg said that at the moment, despite having such a large army, the armed forces could provide only up to 7,000 troops to serve in five missions at any given time.

The package of changes, which will include closing many of the 403 barracks as well as slimming down the 9 separate military commands, means that Mr. Guttenberg will be able to offer better pay and more incentives in order to attract more qualified recruits.

Despite lacking strong political support from the war-mongering conservative bloc, Mr. Guttenberg seized on Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble’s savings plan to forge ahead with his defense changes. Under pressure to find cuts in his own ministry, Mr. Guttenberg said the German armed forces would have to save as much as $4 billion from 2011-2014.

Well, what do you think, sports fans? Should we cut the defense budget by 5%, cut 250 flag officers and fire 100,000 contractors, or what?

Our senile Congressmen say we're at war, except they forgot to declare war. Our 950 flag officers say we're at war, yet 95% of them have never been to Iraq or Afghanistan.