Today, Steven Aftergood reported in Secrecy News that the Congressional Research Service has called out Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on his doomsday-talk. From the post:
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and other officials have warned that if U.S. military spending is cut significantly, the unacceptable result would be a “a hollow force incapable of sustaining the missions it is assigned.”
But a new critique from the Congressional Research Service suggests that the use of the term “hollow force” is inappropriate and unwarranted.
“Historically, there were two periods– post-Vietnam and again in the 1990s– when the term ‘hollow force’ was used to describe the U.S. armed forces.” It referred to “forces that appear mission-ready but, upon examination, suffer from shortages of personnel and equipment, and from deficiencies in training.
But a close review of the circumstances that generated a hollow force in the past does not support the use of the term today, the CRS said.
At the Project On Government Oversight, we've made similar critiques of Panetta's hyperbolic language when it comes to defense cuts. Check out our Spending Less, Spending Smarter report for real ways the U.S. can cut its national security budget.