Voices

Time to cut the size of the armed forces

MARLBORO — Recently, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the joint chiefs of staff announced a plan to reduce the size of the U.S. Army and to eliminate all Air Force A-10 attack aircraft.

This proposal would shave the 2015 military budget to just a bit under half a trillion dollars, still more than the rest of the world's defense spending combined.

The A-10s were there to destroy Soviet tanks in case Western Europe was invaded, presumably in the 1950s. The Army had been sized for big simultaneous operations in Europe and Asia, like those of World War II 70 years ago.

Now let's put these people to work on American roads, bridges, and national parks where so much work really needs to be done.

Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly updates