我們仍然活在危險的年代: 歐亞陸塊兩個邪惡帝國張牙舞爪，忙著恢復或建立它們的勢力範圍(中)
六
國防部長Hagel在日前發表的”FY15 Budget Preview”(2015會計年度預算預覽)必然會遭到國會參眾兩院的軍事委員會那些巨頭們的砲轟，我們現在先來讀Rep. J. Randy Forbes (Chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee)於3/6/2014在The Wall Street Journal上的投書:
//Your editorial "Obama's Shrinking Army" (March 1) makes clear the many dangers associated with the administration's decision to reduce the U.S. Army to its smallest size since World War II. History shows us the inherent danger in reductions of this size, particularly as the international environment, from Ukraine to the South China Sea, becomes increasingly unstable. Yet the negative implications of the president's defense reductions extend far beyond the Army. //
//The U.S. Navy, today numbering just 283 vessels, seems poised to shrink even further as sea-power investments are regularly deferred in the name of savings. Despite Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's insistence that the Navy must grow to "support the global demands for naval presence," he proceeded to announce further cuts to the Navy's size and strength, including removing 11 cruisers from the fleet and canceling the planned procurement of 20 relatively inexpensive littoral combat ships. The administration also appears ready to reduce our aircraft-carrier fleet by forgoing needed maintenance on the USS George Washington, shortening her service life and stretching the demands on our carrier force. Alongside these cuts, in key classes of ships, including attack submarines and amphibious ships, the Navy will experience continued requirement shortfalls in the coming years.//
//If Chinese and Russian boldness in recent years is any indication, the world is watching our decisions and calculating its response. I am reminded of the late Congressman Carl Vinson's maxim that, "The most expensive thing in the world is a cheap Army and Navy." //
來自維吉尼亞第四國會選區的眾議員Randy Forbes澈底反對裁減海軍與陸軍 ，因為這不但違反他的選區的利益，也違反美國的國家利益、自由民主陣營的利益及世界各地愛好自由民主的人民的利益 。
七
俄羅斯最近在東歐的侵略與擴張行動提供了國會議員反對國防部長Hagel在日前發表的”FY15 Budget Preview”(2015會計年度預算預覽)的柴火，我們現在來讀一則報導:
“Russia Rift Fuels U.S. Defense Debate”
By Dion Nissenbaum And Julian E. Barnes
The Wall Street Journal
March 3, 2014
WASHINGTON—The deepening East-West standoff over Ukraine is triggering a shift in political pressures in Washington, as Russia reprises its role as an American nemesis against the backdrop of U.S. military spending cuts.
President Barack Obama is facing calls to rethink diplomatic strategies and exert a more forceful American response. At the same time, however, even self-professed Republican hawks aren't urging military action, a recognition of limits on U.S. options.
Still, the facedown with Moscow is breeding demands for more strenuous action than the administration has so far taken. While the U.S. has said it may boycott the June Group of Eight summit in Sochi, for instance, lawmakers are urging that the U.S. lead a charge to evict Russia from the group.
Lawmakers also have demanded more funding for missile defense programs across Europe and for strengthening Georgia and Moldova—two other former Soviet republics at odds with Moscow.
"Every time the president goes on national television and threatens (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or anyone like Putin, everybody's eyes roll, including mine," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said Sunday on CNN. "We have a weak and indecisive president that invites aggression."[參議員Graham說，我們美國有一個在邀請侵略的軟弱與---Read More--- 優柔寡斷的總統。這句話可能是我們所聽過的對一位美國總統最嚴厲的批評。 ]
However, the GOP in Washington has been splitting between traditional defense hawks and a rising wing of conservatives skeptical of what they see as overseas adventurism.
Rep. Mike Rogers, (R., Mich.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, criticized the Obama administration and said it had been outwitted by Mr. Putin, but urged caution on the U.S. response.
"Candidly—and I'm a fairly hawkish guy—sending more naval forces to operate in the Black Sea is really not a very good idea," Mr. Rogers said. "Unless you're intending to use them, I wouldn't send them."
The Ukraine crisis comes just as Mr. Obama this week planned to unveil a budget plan that calls for cutting the size of the U.S. Army and for other reductions.
That fate of timing has opened the administration to a new round of criticism. Rep. Buck McKeon (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the military cutbacks are likely emboldening Mr. Putin in Ukraine.
"Putin's not a dummy," he told a small group of reporters last week. "He looks at it and says: 'Hey, America is cutting back their defense. I can push here.' "
Senior administration officials updated members of Congress over the weekend on the president's handling of the crisis, although there were no formal briefings.
Pentagon officials scoffed at the idea that their spending plan represents a retreat from the world. "There is no retreat from the world," one defense official said. "The sun rises and sets on literally hundreds of countries where American troops are operating or are based."
Officials said the new budget, with its investments in modernized weaponry will put the U.S. in an even better position to respond toand deter countries with advanced military, such as Russia.
美國國防部於3/4/2014發表了一份新的「四年國防評估報告」(Quadrennial Defense Review, 2014)，眾院軍事委員會主席竟把它退回，要國防部重擬 ，國會這麼做，可能史無前例。我們來讀一則報導。
"House Armed Services Chairman Rejects Defense Review for First Time in History"
By Elizabeth Kreft
Mar. 4, 2014
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theblaze.com%2F&h=AAQH_O2r-&s=1
•
•
For the first time in history, the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee has rejected a major Defense Department strategic review.
The defense report is required by law every four years.
The Department of Defense is legally required to submit the Quadrennial Defense Review to Congress every four years to provide long-range vision and planning for potential future conflicts.
“Unfortunately, the product the process produced this time has more to do with politics than policy and is of little value to decision makers. For that reason, I will require the department to rewrite and resubmit a compliant report,” House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) said in a scathing statement after receiving the review Tuesday.
Committee spokesman Claude Chafin confirmed to TheBlaze this was the first time a chairman has rejected the report and asked for it to be resubmitted.
“In defiance of the law, [the review] provides no insight into what a moderate-to-low risk strategy would be, is clearly budget driven, and is shortsighted. It allows the president to duck the consequences of the deep defense cuts he has advocated and leaves us all wondering what the true future costs of those cuts will be,” McKeon said.
McKeon said he will introduce legislation requiring the Defense Department to resubmit an acceptable review.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel defended the review, while admitting the report reflects current budget woes.
“These continued fiscal constraints cannot be ignored,” Hagel said in a statement. “It would be dishonest and irresponsible to present a [review] articulating a strategy disconnected from the reality of resource constraints. A strategy must have the resources for its implementation.”
The review’s release coincided with that of President Barack Obama’s new budget proposal, entailing $600 billion in new spending initiatives and which drew strong reactions from Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.
The FY15 budget includes a sharp drawdown in the size of the Army, calling for a reduction to 440,000 active duty soldiers from the current size of 520,000. (Image via Department of Defense)
“As the 2014 elections hang in the balance, President Obama and his fellow Democrats would rather present an unserious, political budget instead of addressing our nation’s long-term fiscal problems,” Priebus said.
A Pentagon official told TheBlaze that Hagel looks forward to “discussing” the rejected review and the budget later this week with the House Armed Services Committee.
Among many other cuts, the budget includes a sharp drawdown in the size of the Army, calling for a reduction to 440,000 active duty soldiers from the current size of 520,000, while “ensuring the force remains well trained and equipped,” according to the Defense Department.
八
由於阿富汗戰爭與伊拉克戰爭導致的疲乏與反彈，加上美國受到赤字高舉、金融風暴與經濟不景氣的打擊，美國國內興起了孤立主義。
但俄羅斯進軍烏克蘭與歐巴馬政府對世界各地的烽火的無力回應，導致美國的愛國者與國安事務界的鷹派現在又得到了最佳的機會與舞台，現在有可能是美國人民要再度揚棄孤立主義的契機。我們來讀一則新聞報導:
“GOP Hawks Are on the Rise”
War Fatigue Had Fueled Isolationism, but the Ukraine Crisis Shifts Party's Tone
By Janet Hook and Patrick O'Connor
The Wall Street Journal
March 6, 2014
The Ukraine crisis has given GOP foreign policy hawks a fresh opportunity to reassert themselves in a party that has seen rising isolationist sentiment.
For Republicans with presidential ambitions, the turmoil in Ukraine, Syria, Venezuela and other world hot spots has been an occasion to raise their own profiles as players in the foreign-policy debate and to attack President Barack Obama's leadership.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, is pushing for policies to isolate Russia financially and diplomatically as punishment for Russian President Vladimir Putin's use of force in Ukraine.
Most Republicans have backed a similar policy direction, providing a unified response after years of murky, often-inconsistent criticism of Mr. Obama and the rise of a libertarian wing that objected to the aggressive interventionism of former President George W. Bush.
At the same time, the Ukraine debate exposed different impulses among leading Republicans. Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), another potential White House candidate, initially advocated for more "respectful" relations with Russia, reflecting his more cautious approach to intervention abroad. He later changed his tone, criticizing Mr. Putin after his military mobilized in Crimea.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) called almost immediately for Russia to be expelled from the Group of Eight and possibly from other world councils, such as the World Trade Organization.
But Mr. Cruz also described his own perspective as a middle ground between those in the party calling for a muscular foreign policy, such as Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), and the party's more cautious wing. "I agree with John McCain that we should be a voice for freedom, but I agree with Rand Paul that we should be exceedingly reluctant to employ U.S. military force," Mr. Cruz told Politico.
The Obama administration has taken a number of steps to provide support for Ukraine and step up economic and diplomatic pressure on Russia. The Pentagon suspended military cooperation, the U.S. and European Union have threatened to impose sanctions, Secretary of State John Kerry was dispatched to Kiev, and the White House is working with congressional leaders on a package of economic aid to Ukraine. "Above all, we believe that the Ukrainian people should be able to decide their own future," Mr. Obama said Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) defended the president's approach. "The cautious direction of the president has been very good in Ukraine. It's a difficult issue," he said Wednesday.
Republicans nearly across the board contend what they view as Mr. Obama's missteps in foreign affairs—such as his threat to bomb Syria, later withdrawn—might have emboldened hostile leaders like Mr. Putin. "After several crises, the pendulum is swinging back" to a more assertive posture, said Richard Grenell, a Bush-era spokesman at the United Nations. He described the party's stance as "diplomacy with muscle."
(待續)
台灣建州運動發起人周威霖
David C. Chou
Founder, Formosa Statehood Movement
(an organization devoted in current stage to making Taiwan a territorial commonwealth of the United States)
國防部長Hagel在日前發表的”FY15 Budget Preview”(2015會計年度預算預覽)必然會遭到國會參眾兩院的軍事委員會那些巨頭們的砲轟，我們現在先來讀Rep. J. Randy Forbes (Chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee)於3/6/2014在The Wall Street Journal上的投書:
//Your editorial "Obama's Shrinking Army" (March 1) makes clear the many dangers associated with the administration's decision to reduce the U.S. Army to its smallest size since World War II. History shows us the inherent danger in reductions of this size, particularly as the international environment, from Ukraine to the South China Sea, becomes increasingly unstable. Yet the negative implications of the president's defense reductions extend far beyond the Army. //
//The U.S. Navy, today numbering just 283 vessels, seems poised to shrink even further as sea-power investments are regularly deferred in the name of savings. Despite Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's insistence that the Navy must grow to "support the global demands for naval presence," he proceeded to announce further cuts to the Navy's size and strength, including removing 11 cruisers from the fleet and canceling the planned procurement of 20 relatively inexpensive littoral combat ships. The administration also appears ready to reduce our aircraft-carrier fleet by forgoing needed maintenance on the USS George Washington, shortening her service life and stretching the demands on our carrier force. Alongside these cuts, in key classes of ships, including attack submarines and amphibious ships, the Navy will experience continued requirement shortfalls in the coming years.//
//If Chinese and Russian boldness in recent years is any indication, the world is watching our decisions and calculating its response. I am reminded of the late Congressman Carl Vinson's maxim that, "The most expensive thing in the world is a cheap Army and Navy." //
來自維吉尼亞第四國會選區的眾議員Randy Forbes澈底反對裁減海軍與陸軍 ，因為這不但違反他的選區的利益，也違反美國的國家利益、自由民主陣營的利益及世界各地愛好自由民主的人民的利益 。
七
俄羅斯最近在東歐的侵略與擴張行動提供了國會議員反對國防部長Hagel在日前發表的”FY15 Budget Preview”(2015會計年度預算預覽)的柴火，我們現在來讀一則報導:
“Russia Rift Fuels U.S. Defense Debate”
By Dion Nissenbaum And Julian E. Barnes
The Wall Street Journal
March 3, 2014
WASHINGTON—The deepening East-West standoff over Ukraine is triggering a shift in political pressures in Washington, as Russia reprises its role as an American nemesis against the backdrop of U.S. military spending cuts.
President Barack Obama is facing calls to rethink diplomatic strategies and exert a more forceful American response. At the same time, however, even self-professed Republican hawks aren't urging military action, a recognition of limits on U.S. options.
Still, the facedown with Moscow is breeding demands for more strenuous action than the administration has so far taken. While the U.S. has said it may boycott the June Group of Eight summit in Sochi, for instance, lawmakers are urging that the U.S. lead a charge to evict Russia from the group.
Lawmakers also have demanded more funding for missile defense programs across Europe and for strengthening Georgia and Moldova—two other former Soviet republics at odds with Moscow.
"Every time the president goes on national television and threatens (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or anyone like Putin, everybody's eyes roll, including mine," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said Sunday on CNN. "We have a weak and indecisive president that invites aggression."[參議員Graham說，我們美國有一個在邀請侵略的軟弱與
However, the GOP in Washington has been splitting between traditional defense hawks and a rising wing of conservatives skeptical of what they see as overseas adventurism.
Rep. Mike Rogers, (R., Mich.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, criticized the Obama administration and said it had been outwitted by Mr. Putin, but urged caution on the U.S. response.
"Candidly—and I'm a fairly hawkish guy—sending more naval forces to operate in the Black Sea is really not a very good idea," Mr. Rogers said. "Unless you're intending to use them, I wouldn't send them."
The Ukraine crisis comes just as Mr. Obama this week planned to unveil a budget plan that calls for cutting the size of the U.S. Army and for other reductions.
That fate of timing has opened the administration to a new round of criticism. Rep. Buck McKeon (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the military cutbacks are likely emboldening Mr. Putin in Ukraine.
"Putin's not a dummy," he told a small group of reporters last week. "He looks at it and says: 'Hey, America is cutting back their defense. I can push here.' "
Senior administration officials updated members of Congress over the weekend on the president's handling of the crisis, although there were no formal briefings.
Pentagon officials scoffed at the idea that their spending plan represents a retreat from the world. "There is no retreat from the world," one defense official said. "The sun rises and sets on literally hundreds of countries where American troops are operating or are based."
Officials said the new budget, with its investments in modernized weaponry will put the U.S. in an even better position to respond toand deter countries with advanced military, such as Russia.
美國國防部於3/4/2014發表了一份新的「四年國防評估報告」(Quadrennial Defense Review, 2014)，眾院軍事委員會主席竟把它退回，要國防部重擬 ，國會這麼做，可能史無前例。我們來讀一則報導。
"House Armed Services Chairman Rejects Defense Review for First Time in History"
By Elizabeth Kreft
Mar. 4, 2014
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theblaze.com%2F&h=AAQH_O2r-&s=1
•
•
For the first time in history, the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee has rejected a major Defense Department strategic review.
The defense report is required by law every four years.
The Department of Defense is legally required to submit the Quadrennial Defense Review to Congress every four years to provide long-range vision and planning for potential future conflicts.
“Unfortunately, the product the process produced this time has more to do with politics than policy and is of little value to decision makers. For that reason, I will require the department to rewrite and resubmit a compliant report,” House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) said in a scathing statement after receiving the review Tuesday.
Committee spokesman Claude Chafin confirmed to TheBlaze this was the first time a chairman has rejected the report and asked for it to be resubmitted.
“In defiance of the law, [the review] provides no insight into what a moderate-to-low risk strategy would be, is clearly budget driven, and is shortsighted. It allows the president to duck the consequences of the deep defense cuts he has advocated and leaves us all wondering what the true future costs of those cuts will be,” McKeon said.
McKeon said he will introduce legislation requiring the Defense Department to resubmit an acceptable review.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel defended the review, while admitting the report reflects current budget woes.
“These continued fiscal constraints cannot be ignored,” Hagel said in a statement. “It would be dishonest and irresponsible to present a [review] articulating a strategy disconnected from the reality of resource constraints. A strategy must have the resources for its implementation.”
The review’s release coincided with that of President Barack Obama’s new budget proposal, entailing $600 billion in new spending initiatives and which drew strong reactions from Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.
The FY15 budget includes a sharp drawdown in the size of the Army, calling for a reduction to 440,000 active duty soldiers from the current size of 520,000. (Image via Department of Defense)
“As the 2014 elections hang in the balance, President Obama and his fellow Democrats would rather present an unserious, political budget instead of addressing our nation’s long-term fiscal problems,” Priebus said.
A Pentagon official told TheBlaze that Hagel looks forward to “discussing” the rejected review and the budget later this week with the House Armed Services Committee.
Among many other cuts, the budget includes a sharp drawdown in the size of the Army, calling for a reduction to 440,000 active duty soldiers from the current size of 520,000, while “ensuring the force remains well trained and equipped,” according to the Defense Department.
八
由於阿富汗戰爭與伊拉克戰爭導致的疲乏與反彈，加上美國受到赤字高舉、金融風暴與經濟不景氣的打擊，美國國內興起了孤立主義。
但俄羅斯進軍烏克蘭與歐巴馬政府對世界各地的烽火的無力回應，導致美國的愛國者與國安事務界的鷹派現在又得到了最佳的機會與舞台，現在有可能是美國人民要再度揚棄孤立主義的契機。我們來讀一則新聞報導:
“GOP Hawks Are on the Rise”
War Fatigue Had Fueled Isolationism, but the Ukraine Crisis Shifts Party's Tone
By Janet Hook and Patrick O'Connor
The Wall Street Journal
March 6, 2014
The Ukraine crisis has given GOP foreign policy hawks a fresh opportunity to reassert themselves in a party that has seen rising isolationist sentiment.
For Republicans with presidential ambitions, the turmoil in Ukraine, Syria, Venezuela and other world hot spots has been an occasion to raise their own profiles as players in the foreign-policy debate and to attack President Barack Obama's leadership.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, is pushing for policies to isolate Russia financially and diplomatically as punishment for Russian President Vladimir Putin's use of force in Ukraine.
Most Republicans have backed a similar policy direction, providing a unified response after years of murky, often-inconsistent criticism of Mr. Obama and the rise of a libertarian wing that objected to the aggressive interventionism of former President George W. Bush.
At the same time, the Ukraine debate exposed different impulses among leading Republicans. Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), another potential White House candidate, initially advocated for more "respectful" relations with Russia, reflecting his more cautious approach to intervention abroad. He later changed his tone, criticizing Mr. Putin after his military mobilized in Crimea.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) called almost immediately for Russia to be expelled from the Group of Eight and possibly from other world councils, such as the World Trade Organization.
But Mr. Cruz also described his own perspective as a middle ground between those in the party calling for a muscular foreign policy, such as Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), and the party's more cautious wing. "I agree with John McCain that we should be a voice for freedom, but I agree with Rand Paul that we should be exceedingly reluctant to employ U.S. military force," Mr. Cruz told Politico.
The Obama administration has taken a number of steps to provide support for Ukraine and step up economic and diplomatic pressure on Russia. The Pentagon suspended military cooperation, the U.S. and European Union have threatened to impose sanctions, Secretary of State John Kerry was dispatched to Kiev, and the White House is working with congressional leaders on a package of economic aid to Ukraine. "Above all, we believe that the Ukrainian people should be able to decide their own future," Mr. Obama said Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) defended the president's approach. "The cautious direction of the president has been very good in Ukraine. It's a difficult issue," he said Wednesday.
Republicans nearly across the board contend what they view as Mr. Obama's missteps in foreign affairs—such as his threat to bomb Syria, later withdrawn—might have emboldened hostile leaders like Mr. Putin. "After several crises, the pendulum is swinging back" to a more assertive posture, said Richard Grenell, a Bush-era spokesman at the United Nations. He described the party's stance as "diplomacy with muscle."
(待續)
台灣建州運動發起人周威霖
David C. Chou
Founder, Formosa Statehood Movement
(an organization devoted in current stage to making Taiwan a territorial commonwealth of the United States)
沒有留言:
張貼留言