By Lt. Colonel Orson Swindle III (Ret.)
The Miami Herald
Beyond cuts to one missile-defense system mentioned in the March 1 article Clinton, Panetta defend administration on Israel, the massive defense cuts in the recent Pentagon budget and looming under budget sequestration next year could devastate other capabilities that the United States needs to counter the Iranian threat.
At $1 trillion nearly all defense experts say these cuts would slash our military too deeply. What’s worse, sequestration wouldn’t discriminate between funding for intelligence drones or military bands. This nonsensical nonstrategy for defense spending will cancel all new fighter jets, eliminate the ICBM-leg of our nuclear deterrent, end development of new reconnaissance technologies and further slash missile defenses that protect the U.S. and our allies.
We need these capabilities to defend against a nuclear Iran. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says that Iran could have a nuclear weapon within a year, after which it could hold the whole world, and not just Israel, hostage.
