[The Goat]

Just curious if anyone else noticed the DOD budget proposal Gates unveiled a few weeks ago? Very, very interesting and IMHO a much bigger deal than any of the change Obama is initiating. Basically Gates asked for just a 4% overall budget increase instead of the whopping 8% or 10% Def Secs have often shot for. But more importantly Gates' proposal revealed a big change in strategy...getting away from the inanity of weapons systems like SDI that cost trillions and never produce anything, instead Gates proposed significant growth to the special forces, practical military/technology applications like transport and small engagement weaponry. All in all it was extremely encouraging. Each of the last three decades we've seen trillions of dollars "disappear" into the defense budget for things that never materialized, and almost always under the guise of "classified" status so we never know where the money goes and especially why it produced so little. The opportunity cost of those dollars wasted in the military-industrial complex is almost unfathomable as we now sit on the most decrepit infrastructure of all 1st world nations and a national debt that will soon equal GDP. I think it's really interesting Gates, a Bush man, moved DOD this direction as soon as Obama was elected. Historically Def Secs have unparalleled autonomy in how they run the show and spend the money...Gates likely pushed this change of his own accord which again i just find very interesting.