About time, although if Gates suddenly ends up a two-to-the-head ‘suicide,’ will anyone be surprised given the profits so many will lose because of him? Now if only he has the balls to cut unneeded, make-work weapons systems that exist only to get votes for Congressmen and Senators, then some real reductions can happen. That would be change we could believe in!

Facing growing pressure to cut military spending, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Monday ordered the closing of a major Pentagon headquarters, restrictions on the use of contractors and reductions in the number of generals and admirals.

The belt-tightening moves were aimed at eliminating duplication and reducing overhead, Gates said at a Pentagon news conference.
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Pentagon officials would not supply estimates of the cost savings from the steps announced Monday. They admitted that the savings were a minuscule part of the $712 billion in defense spending that the Obama administration has requested for fiscal year 2011. After a decade of rapidly increasing defense spending, the Pentagon is facing growing calls from outside commissions and some members of Congress for cuts in its budget.
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In inflation-adjusted dollars, the administration defense budget request for fiscal year 2011 is at the highest level since World War II. Gates has warned for the last year that the era of ever-increasing defense budgets that began after 2001 is coming to an end. But he has also said that fighting ongoing wars and purchasing needed weapons systems will require annual growth of 2% to 3% in defense spending, more than many analysts think is likely in coming years.