Statement of Robert D. Reischauer, Director, Congressional Budget Office
Abstract
I appreciate the opportunity to testify today about the costs and the effects on military manpower of possible changes in the structure of U.S. military forces. The United States and the Soviet Union are currently negotiating the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) treaty. NATO and the Warsaw Pact are negotiating the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. At the same time, many of the Warsaw Pact nations are undergoing far-reaching political changes that are moving them toward democratic governments. These momentous changes could significantly reduce the threats to U.S. security. But there remains considerable uncertainty about future events, which is reflected in the wide range of reductions in military forces that the Congress may consider. This testimony examines several reductions in this range, including the minimum changes in forces required by the CFE and START treaties; possible Administration plans for reductions in active and reserve forces; large active-duty reductions coupled with the flexibility to rebuild forces quickly; and large active and reserve troop reductions that assume a major, permanent reduction in security threats. These alternatives would eventually reduce the annual U.S. defense budget by between $9 billion and $80 billion. Reductions in active-duty manpower range from about 100,000 to almost 600,000. My testimony today will discuss these estimates of budget and manpower reductions as well as the effects of the alternatives on military capability. Although the statement focuses primarily on long-run effects, I will also discuss how quickly the Congress might be able to make changes in the numbers and cost of military personnel.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 27, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA490834
Entities
People
- Robert D. Reischauer
Organizations
- Congressional Budget Office