"US cannot afford another Afghanistan or Iraq, warns Defence Secretary
Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, has said military spending must be cut by up to $15 billion a year and that the US cannot afford to enter into another Afghanistan or Iraq.
Alex Spillius in Washington
Published: 6:11PM BST 09 May 2010Mr Gates said that America would be forced to take tight budgets into consideration before launching any military action against Iran.
His plans would see cuts in spending on its bureaucracy and on equipment designed for a repeat of the Second World War rather than the smaller wars of the 21st century.
However, he said he would protect the military's ability to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He said that defence spending had doubled since the September 11, 2001 attacks, and that the severe recession guaranteed that "the gusher has been turned off and will stay off for a good period of time".
In a speech at the Eisenhower Presidential Library to mark the 65th anniversary of the German surrender, he said: "I do think that as we look to the future, particularly for the next couple of years or so while we're in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think the Congress and the president would look long and hard at another military operation that would cost us $100 billion a year...."
Lue lisää
Tekstit
