Army to Congress: Thanks, but no tanks
By Drew Griffin and Kathleen Johnston
HERLONG, California (CNN) - If you need an example of why it is hard to cut the budget in Washington look no further than this Army depot in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada range.
CNN was allowed rare access to what amounts to a parking lot for more than 2,000 M-1 Abrams tanks. Here, about an hour's drive north of Reno, Nevada, the tanks have been collecting dust in the hot California desert because of a tiff between the Army and Congress.
The U.S. has more than enough combat tanks in the field to meet the nation's defense needs - so there's no sense in making repairs to these now, the Army's chief of staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno told Congress earlier this year.
If the Pentagon holds off repairing, refurbishing or making new tanks for three years until new technologies are developed, the Army says it can save taxpayers as much as $3 billion.
That may seem like a lot of money, but it's a tiny sacrifice for a Defense Department that will cut $500 billion from its budget over the next decade and may be forced to cut a further $500 billion if a deficit cutting deal is not reached by Congress.
Why is this a big deal? For one, the U.S. hasn't stopped producing tanks since before World War II, according to lawmakers.
Plus, from its point of view the Army would prefer to decide what it needs and doesn't need to keep America strong while making tough economic cuts elsewhere.
"When a relatively conservative institution like the U.S. military, which doesn't like to take risks because risks get people killed, says it has enough tanks, I think generally civilians should be inclined to believe them," said Travis Sharp a fellow at the defense think tank, New American Security.
But guess which group of civilians isn't inclined to agree with the generals on this point?
Congress.
To be exact, 173 House members - Democrats and Republicans - sent a letter April 20 to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, urging him to continue supporting their decision to produce more tanks.
That's right. Lawmakers who frequently and loudly proclaim that presidents should listen to generals when it comes to battlefield decisions are refusing to take its own advice.
If the U.S. pauses tank production and refurbishment it will hurt the nation's industrial economy, lawmakers say.
"The combat vehicle industrial base is a unique asset that consists of hundreds of public and private facilities across the United States," the letter said. The outlook for selling Abrams tanks to other nations appears "stronger than prior years," the letter said. But those sales would be "inadequate to sustain the industrial base and in some cases uncertain. In light of this, modest and continued Abrams production for the Army is necessary to protect the industrial base."
Lima, Ohio, is a long way from this dusty tank parking lot. The tiny town in the northwestern part of the Buckeye State is where defense manufacturing heavyweight General Dynamics makes these 60-plus-ton behemoths.
The tanks create 16,000 jobs and involve 882 suppliers, says Kendell Pease, the company's vice-president of government relations and communications. That job figure includes ancillary positions like gas station workers who fill up employees' cars coming and going to the plant.
Many of the suppliers for tank manufacturing are scattered around the country so the issue of stopping production or refurbishment becomes a parochial one: congressional representatives don't want to kill any jobs in their districts, especially as the economy struggles during an election year.
"General Dynamics is not the industrial base," Pease said. "It is small vendors."
But General Dynamics certainly has a stake in the battle of the tanks and is making sure its investment is protected, according to research done by The Center for Public Integrity, a journalism watchdog group.
What its reporters found was General Dynamics campaign contributions given to lawmakers at key times, such as around congressional hearings, on whether or not to build more tanks.
"We aren't saying there's vote buying" said Aaron Metha, one of the report's authors. "We are saying it's true in pretty much all aspects of politics - but especially the defense industry. It's almost impossible to separate out the money that is going into elections and the special interests. And what we found was the direct spike in the giving around certain important dates that were tied to votes."
Pease said General Dynamics is bipartisan in its giving and there is nothing suspicious in the timing of its donations to members of the House and Senate. The giving is tied to when fundraisers are held in Washington - which is also when Congress is in session, he said.
Lawmakers that CNN interviewed denied that donations influenced their decisions to keep the tanks rolling.
Rep. Buck McKeon, a Republican from California and chairman of the House armed services committee, said he didn't know General Dynamics had given him $56,000 in campaign contributions since 2009 until CNN asked him about it.
"You know, the Army has a job to do and we have a job to do," McKeon said. "And they have tough choices because they've been having their budget cut."
McKeon said he's thinking about the long range view. "... If someone could guarantee us that we'll never need tanks in the future, that would be good. I don't see that guarantee."
Similarly, his Democratic counterpart on the committee, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, who has received $64,000 from General Dynamics since 2001, said he is worried about the workforce if the Lima plant is closed for three years.
"Listen, we don't want to play Russian Roulette with the national security of this country," Reyes said.
Odierno explained to the committee that it would be cheaper to shut down the tank plant and then restart it in 2017. But his plea was ignored.
"Lima would cost us $2.8 billion just to keep that open and our tank fleet is in good shape and we don't need to because of the great support that we have gotten over the last two years," he told the committee.
But General Dynamics said it will cost a lot less to keep the plant open. Pease said the Army hasn't factored in the huge costs of closing the plant and the potential loss of skilled workers who will be needed come 2017 when the Army plans to remodel the Abrams tank.
"It's not whether they need those tanks, it's how much it costs to restart it," said Pease. General Dynamics, he said, will survive with or without refurbishing tanks over the next three years.
So how did Congress respond to Gen. Odeirno's request to shut down production until 2017?
The answer came in the proposed congressional budget for next year. It includes $181 million for tanks the Army doesn't want or need now. That begs another question: who will likely get the money for the 70 or so tanks covered by that contract when it goes out for bid?
"General Dynamics would probably get the contract for it anyway because they are kind of the ones that are out there leading the way on this," said McKeon.
The Army tank battle sends an unsettling message to the Defense Department, says Sharp, with the defense think tank. But it's a message that may not surprise a public weary from decades of battles and horse-trading that have defined Capitol Hill.
"The fact that the military is having such a hard time getting this relatively small amount of money to be saved, I think is an indication of the huge uphill fight that the military faces when it comes to Congress," Sharp said. "Congress is going to fight tooth and nail to protect defense investments that benefit their constituents and the people that live in their states."
Maybe the next time the generals go up to the Hill, they should take a cue from the well-protected tanks parked in California. Perhaps they might consider wearing body armor.
CNN's Sara Anwar contributed to this report.
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I'm going to revisit yet again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.
http://www.mysharedraftdata.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.ocrvcenter.com
http://gemshape.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.ocrvcenter.com
http://beachesquest.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.ocrvcenter.com
http://bugcrowd.com/external_redirect?site=http://ocrvcenter.com/moving-truck-collision-repair-shop-near-me
Very nice blog post. I certainly appreciate this website. Continue the good work!
https://yp.timesfreepress.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.ocrvcenter.com/
http://buscocolegio.com/Colegio/redireccionar-web.action?url=http://ocrvcenter.com/
ItÃs hard to find experienced people in this particular topic, but you sound like you know what youÃre talking about! Thanks
https://www.ymg-ssz.jp/cms/modules/wordpress0/wp-ktai.php?view=redir&url=https://ocrvcenter.com/motorhome-solar-panel-repair-near-me
It's awesome to pay a quick visit this web page and reading the
views of all mates about this article, while I am also keen of getting knowledge.
do erectile dysfunction pills really work https://www.pharmaceptica.com/
http://commissionsoup.com/opts.aspx?t=P6MCR2&u=http://ocrvcenter.com/videos-2/
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this post and the rest of the website is also really good.
https://world-visit.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvcenter.com/
http://www.hall9000.de/cgi-bin/luding/Redirect.py?f=00w^E4X&URL=ocrvcenter.com
https://www.e-presidents-choice.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=https://ocrvcenter.com/
I absolutely love your blog.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you make this web site yourself? Please reply back as IÃm hoping to create my own website and would love to learn where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Kudos!
https://www.servicewithoutservants.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.ocrvcenter.com/
Hi! I just wish to give you a huge thumbs up for your excellent info you've got here on this post. I'll be returning to your site for more soon.
https://www.beaconpathway.co.nz/?URL=https://ocrvcenter.com
http://beless.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.ocrvcenter.com
You want them to efficiently get your point through.
Of course, they have other uses as extremely well.
Research – good research is significant to buying a reliable dress.
So will be the results of a negative opinion?
You need to be a part of a contest for one of the greatest websites online. I will highly recommend this site!
http://fastkut.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=https://www.ocrvcenter.com/
https://webmail.unige.it/horde/util/go.php?url=https://www.ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-hidden-hills-california/
Can I just say what a relief to discover somebody that actually understands what they're discussing on the web. You certainly understand how to bring an issue to light and make it important. A lot more people ought to look at this and understand this side of your story. I was surprised you're not more popular because you surely possess the gift.
https://www.l214.com/lettres-infos/partage/?nom=7ème+jour:+les+poulets+de+chair&url=https://www.ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-paramount-california
Very nice blog post. I definitely love this website. Keep it up!
http://timemapper.okfnlabs.org/view?url=ocrvcenter.com/motorhome-blinds-repair-near-me
https://www.dmca.com/Protection/Status.aspx?ID=edc817fd-d796-4c84-abb8-d1cb5b2e3719&refurl=https://bongdaplut.net/plus/profile.php?id=178460
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful article. Thank you for supplying this info.
https://zacca-cocoro.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=https://www.ocrvcenter.com/medical-bus-collision-repair-shop-near-me
http://www.ric.edu/Pages/link_out.aspx?target=http://www.hootnholler.net/suez-canal-crisis-underscores-why-business-leaders-need-crisis-contingency-plans-forbes/
This is a topic that's near to my heart... Take care! Exactly where are your contact details though?
https://radar.techcabal.com/clicks/track?url=http://ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-bell-canyon-california/
Aw, this was an extremely good post. Taking the time and actual effort to create a superb articleÖ but what can I sayÖ I hesitate a lot and don't manage to get anything done.
http://www.howard.edu/asp/linkcounter/resourcesondemand.asp?url=http://www.ingenieurleistungenreiter.com/index.php?option=com_phocaguestbook&view=phocaguestbook&id=1&Itemid=4&t=760&limitstart=59020
https://brettterpstra.com/share/fymdproxy.php?url=www.ocrvcenter.com/rv-interior-remodel-near-me
http://www.zacca-cocoro.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-orange-california
Everyone loves it when folks get together and share thoughts. Great site, keep it up!
http://localbusiness.starnewsonline.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=https://ocrvcenter.com/motorhome-technician-near-me/
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this post! It is the little changes that produce the biggest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
https://www.flashback.org/leave.php?u=http://ocrvcenter.com/motorhome-solar-panel-repair-near-me
http://sangokumuso.lib.net/redirect.cgi?www.ocrvcenter.com/motorhome-fiberglass-repair-near-me/
http://www.layoutsparks.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.ocrvcenter.com/rv-paint-shop-near-me/
http://sherlock.scribblelive.com/r?u=www.laju-nuertingen.de/guestbook?start=500
https://arakhne.org/redirect.php?url=ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-pomona-california/
Right here is the right website for anybody who wishes to understand this topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really will need toÖHaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a topic that has been discussed for ages. Wonderful stuff, just wonderful!
https://za.zalo.me/v3/verifyv2/pc?token=OcNsmjfpL0XY2F3BtHzNRs4A-hhQ5q5sPXtbk3O&continue=limitlessbusinesswealth.blogofchange.com/2647155/about-rv-repair-shop
I blog frequently and I truly appreciate your information. Your article has really peaked my interest. I will take a note of your blog and keep checking for new details about once a week. I subscribed to your Feed as well.
http://uhr.rutgers.edu/download/135?url=http://ingenieurleistungenreiter.de/index.php?option=com_phocaguestbook&view=phocaguestbook&id=1&Itemid=4&t=80&limitstart=46740
Your style is so unique compared to other folks I've read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you've got the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this page.
https://reddit.app.link/?channel=mweb_branch&feature=xpromo&campaign=xpromo&$og_redirect=https://stephaniescheubeck.com/blog-archive/zweiter-beitrag/
http://dailygood.org/more.php?op=get&url=https://ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-rancho-palos-verdes-california
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reauthorization/reauexit.cfm?link=https://www.ophv.tsatu.edu.ua/texnologiya-i-mexanizaciya-otrimannya-myasa/zmist/
Having read this I believed it was really informative. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending way too much time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!
https://www.secure.duoservers.com/?lang=en&s_id=123179&rdomain=ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-near-me&action=order&popup=1
http://www.loome.net/demo.php?url=ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-wildomar-california
https://freecenter.com/db/review.cgi?category=pda&url=https://ocrvcenter.com/rv-battery-repair-near-me
https://eportal.uspaacc.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=https://ocrvcenter.com/motorhome-slide-out-repair-near-me/
Howdy! I could have sworn IÃve been to this web site before but after browsing through many of the posts I realized itÃs new to me. Regardless, IÃm certainly pleased I found it and IÃll be book-marking it and checking back often!
http://response-o-matic.com/thank_you.php?u=https://maseratis.net
This is a topic that's close to my heart... Thank you! Exactly where are your contact details though?
http://www.bookmerken.de/?url=ocrv.guru
Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Thank you, However I am having difficulties with your RSS. I donÃt know the reason why I cannot subscribe to it. Is there anyone else having identical RSS problems? Anyone that knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanx!!
https://dailygood.org/more.php?op=get&url=www.coolcatsupplies.com/
http://www.ww17.instagurum.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.songwritingsociety.com
Hello! I could have sworn IÃve been to this website before but after browsing through a few of the articles I realized itÃs new to me. Anyhow, IÃm definitely pleased I discovered it and IÃll be book-marking it and checking back often!
http://slack-redir.net/link?url=https://www.ocrvmotorsports.org
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and also the rest of the site is very good.
https://nagano.visit-town.com/functions/external_link?https://seopostfalls.com
This is the right website for anybody who would like to find out about this topic. You understand a whole lot its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually will need toÖHaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a subject that's been written about for years. Great stuff, just excellent!
http://htcdev.com/?URL=wholeloops.com/
https://ea.delawarecpf.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.forkliftrepairorangecounty.com
https://www.webhosting-wmd.hr/index?URL=https://zealouslifestyle.com/
hcq malaria aralen for sale hydroxychoriquine
Great post! We will be linking to this particularly great content on our site. Keep up the good writing.
https://eportal.uspaacc.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.callfeeder.com
https://fireflyvodka.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://ocrvmotorsports.biz/
https://rs.rikkyo.ac.jp/rs/error/ApplicationError.aspx?TopURL=https://www.postfallsfitness.com
http://www.it.paltalk.com/client/webapp/client/External.wmt?url=http://www.ocrvmotorsports.co/
Great article. I am dealing with a few of these issues as well..
http://univarchinaltd.org/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=thelawofattractionisreal.com
Hello there! This blog post couldnÃt be written much better! Looking at this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept preaching about this. I am going to send this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
https://track.twshop4coupon.com/track/clicks/3171/c627c2b89e0522dbfe9cbd2e8d2b8914736245cb75e9f0ab416db1046005?t=https://fleetservicesorangecounty.com
how to get cialis cheap viagra ou cialis what to do when viagra and cialis dont work
http://covertnvr.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.fleetrepairshops.com/
http://electrobake.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvmotorsports.co
Having read this I thought it was very enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!
http://jburnsdds.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=realchrisburns.com
https://econet.ru/redirect?to=https://quotenearme.com
http://mx2.radiant.net/Redirect/bestlocalnearme.com
http://www.eweavermft.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=bestshopnearme.com/
ItÃs hard to come by knowledgeable people about this subject, however, you sound like you know what youÃre talking about! Thanks
http://com.msaconstruction.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.bulknearme.com/
generic cialis no prescription cialis versus viagra reviews cialis with dapoxetine review
http://ma-sa-to.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=bjsnearme.com
http://librio.net/Banners_Click.cfm?ID=113&URL=https://nearmyspot.com
http://paatestkits.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=wholesalenearme.com
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It's the little changes that produce the most significant changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
http://misssc.isinproduction.com/Redirect.aspx?destination=https://hootnholler.net
https://crimea.rtrs.ru/go/?q=https://masternearme.com/
cialis rezeptfrei cialisblack cialis without a perscription
I was able to find good advice from your blog posts.
https://www.brandonsun.com/s?action=editReg&rurl=http://reviewnearme.com/
http://perwimmer.biz/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=masternearme.com
http://senjal.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=bestservicenearme.com
I really like it when people get together and share thoughts. Great website, stick with it!
http://www.americancable.us/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=quotenearme.com
http://dragonhowls.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.reviewnearme.com
http://www.pegasus7.net/navi008/navi.cgi?jump=27936&url=https://www.reviewnearme.com
An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a friend who has been doing a little homework on this. And he actually bought me breakfast due to the fact that I discovered it for him... lol. So let me reword this.... Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to talk about this matter here on your site.
http://www.plz-plz.com/bin/cgi/link/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=140&url=http://bestservicenearme.com
blood pressure on cialis cialis purchase canada generic cialis with dapoxetine
https://he-web.com/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=6111&url=https://bonus-books.com
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful post. Thank you for supplying this information.
http://standyourself.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=masternearme.com
Excellent article. I am facing many of these issues as well..
http://www.usavaluations.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=masternearme.com
http://www.doctor-navi.com/cgi/hospital-search-engine2/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=14979&url=http://www.nearmyspot.com/
http://www.tbgweb.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=bestlocalnearme.com
http://macneil.us/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=hootnholler.net
http://projectbee.com/redirect.php?url=http://masternearme.com
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Many thanks, However I am experiencing issues with your RSS. I donÃt understand why I can't subscribe to it. Is there anybody getting identical RSS issues? Anybody who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanx!!
https://www.firststopsafety.co.uk/registrationcomplete.aspx?returnurl=https://bestservicenearme.com
bachelor in pharmacy in canada mailing prescription drugs from canada to usa trimix online pharmacy
cialis daily review cialis buy without cheap real cialis
This site was... how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Cheers!
http://abstractsonline.de/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=fleetautorepairshop.com
Very good post. I'm dealing with a few of these issues as well..
http://www.redcodeweb.com/Redirect.aspx?destination=https://fleetservicesorangecounty.com
You're so interesting! I don't think I have read through a single thing like this before. So wonderful to find someone with a few unique thoughts on this subject. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This web site is one thing that's needed on the web, someone with a little originality!
http://www.unmung.com/hovercard?url=http://ocrv.fun
I was pretty pleased to discover this great site. I need to to thank you for your time due to this wonderful read!! I definitely really liked every bit of it and i also have you bookmarked to look at new stuff in your blog.
https://pt-br.paltalk.com/client/webapp/client/External.wmt?url=http://ocrv.vip/
Interesting stuff to read. Keep it up.
https://secondandpine.com/immediately-after-university-packages-that-determine-main-values/
such a great information for blogger i am a professional blogger thanks
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Relentless+Collision/@35.8167572,-78.597496,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xecfa0d223ab3249d!8m2!3d35.8167572!4d-78.597496
Impressive! Thanks for the post
https://www.enjoygoodman.com/what-to-look-for-in-auto-body-repair-shops/
Wow this blog is very nice!
https://www.filsasoso.com/instead-of-buying-a-new-car-consider-auto-body-repair/