Budget Cuts at the DoD

We sometimes forget that it is jobs at home, as much as anything, that drives the Pentagon procurement budget.

A perfect example is the C-130. The Pentagon has proposed ending production of the C-130 transport plane, manufactured in suburban Atlanta. The fact is, this line should have been shut down years ago. It's my understanding that for at least the last 10 years we've not required any, but manufactured these planes any way and would give them away in foreign aid. I'm sure many are sold (at or below costs), and new ones taken for US use while older ones were given away, etc. But the point is, that the line was being kept open because Newt Gingrich wanted the jobs, not because the DoD needed more planes.

So, I think the C-130 will be a good bellwether on how serious the Admin is on DoD cuts.