Statement of John D. Mayer Deputy Assistant Director National Security Division Congressional Budget Office before the Committee on the Budget United States Senate
Abstract
I appreciate the opportunity to testify today about the costs and the effects of possible changes in the structure of U.S. military forces. I will focus first on long-run effects in military forces. Then, I will discuss how quickly savings might be achieved. 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 assure a major, permanent reduction in security threats.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 08, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA494324
Entities
People
- John D. Mayer
Organizations
- Congressional Budget Office