As you may have heard, last week, Representative Barney Frank and Ron Paul, along with Senators Ron Wyden and Walter Jones, announced they believe that we need to determine ways to reduce defense spending to deal with our rising deficit. They reached out to a group of individuals at various institutions, and created the Sustainable Defense Taskfoce.
So why am I, the local Space Geek, blogging about military spending?
Join me over the fold to learn more
The main reason is that there is a link in the space infrastructure and the defense infrastructure, that results in spending from one side can sometimes help to subsidize the other side. For example, both make extensive use of rockets, thus neither has to absorb the full cost of the rocket manufacturing that goes on.
Ok, so what?
Well, it is my hope that this taskforce is going to look at these overlaps, and questions it on both sides, rather than just assuming that the other side needs it, and therefore we may as well take advantage of these savings.
Specifically, what I am referring to is the large diameter Solid Rocket Infrastructure. Some lawmakers are claiming that we need to subsidize it via the Constellation program, or alternatively, increase the DOD budget substantially.
Except thats not true. Deputy Undersecretary for the Air Force of Space Programs Gary Payton has stated that it will have negligible impact. A big part of this is because the next largest rocket that uses large diameter solids, the Trident D5 ICBM, is about half the size of the Shuttle SRB (and the Ares I rocket). The Shuttle SRB has a diameter of just over 12 feet, while the Trident is just under 7 feet.
Further, there is evidence that they will actually save money, on the space launch side, because of increased demand and competition of space launch vehicles. And Obama's plan for NASA does that, because it will result in more users of the Atlas V & Delta IV rocket, while creating new companies fielding their own vehicles, such as the Falcon 9 & Taurus 2.
This is a great way to reduce the deficit and at the same time, create new industries.
In short, the Sustainable Defense Taskforce needs to include these types of options when considering the how to reduce military costs.
