Dear Friends –

What a week! Just one day after the President made history with his speech on nuclear disarmament, the Secretary of Defense laid out a plan to significantly change our federal military budget priorities.

At WAND, we are excited to see this shift toward a new, and better, future; but we are also doing a serious reality check. For it won't be easy to make these changes happen. Every change has to go through the budgeting process in the Halls of Congress; and Congress is going to struggle with every one. Lobbyists from the defense industry kicked their PR campaigns into gear even before Gates made his recommendations; the watchword in this difficult economic time is simply this: Jobs.

So it's up to us to do two things:

• articulate the underlying truth that while jobs will be lost, MORE will be created (sooner or later);
• mobilize our members and friends to create the groundswell that is absolutely vital.

So I write to you today with two goals in mind: first, to convey the sweep and significance of Gates's proposed changes; and second, to urge you to do all you can to let Congress know how important it is to make these changes. Thank you!

His plan is dramatic, and vitally important. (Full remarks here.) These changes have the potential to reshape our country: to alter our foreign policy, to enhance our standing in the world, to recharge our economy so it's cleaner and stronger -- and more.

As President Obama noted in his "State of the Union" speech in February, this administration is trying to move away from systems that were set up to fight the Cold War. Gates has proposed changes that would strengthen our abilities to tackle the security challenges of today; he said he wanted to change the "priorities of America's defense establishment."

Many of his changes would shift funding away from "exquisite," expensive, futuristic systems; and toward relatively low-tech systems best suited for irregular (guerilla) war. Some of the highlights:

• F-22 Fighter – Ends production of the Air Force’s F-22 fighter program at 187 aircraft, the total number currently funded, including the four expected to be included in the upcoming FY09 war supplemental
• Missile Defense - Recently funded at more than $10 billion a year, Gates calls for a reduction of $1.4 billion in FY10
• Navy's DDG-1000 Destroyer – Ends production at no more than three (and possibly one) ship. The cost of this has ballooned over the past decade; the Navy will revert to building the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers that have been a mainstay of the fleet for years.
• Army's Future Combat System (FCS) – Would dramatically cut back the ambitious program, which consists of a network of advanced vehicles, unmanned surveillance aircraft and battlefield sensors.

At the end of his prepared remarks, Gates had this to say:

"As I told the Congress in January, this budget presents an opportunity -- one of those rare chances to match virtue to necessity; to critically and ruthlessly separate appetites from real requirements -- those things that are desirable in a perfect world from those things that are truly needed in light of the threats America faces and the missions we are likely to undertake in the years ahead. An opportunity to truly reform the way we do business."

Still, make no mistake: The "appetites" have not diminished. Despite these significant cuts, the Pentagon is still getting 51% of the discretionary budget, and the dollar amount is still bigger than ever since WWII (inflation-adjusted). The $556 billion for FY10 is inflation plus $9 billion for FY10 compared to FY09.

So while we applaud this direction -- and we do -- we also believe we have just taken the first steps on a long journey toward a federal budget that truly supports peace and security in today's world.

While these changes seem common-sense and basic to most of us, they will not be easy to realize. And that's because there are deep pockets and vested interests who will mount campaigns against them. The defense industry has spent many years building systems that are hard to dismantle.

The immediate response to the planned changes was to trumpet the number of jobs that would be lost. All over the country -- the industry has been careful to spread these jobs across Congressional districts from one end to the other. A quick scan of the news today brought up stories about the potential job losses in several states:

• "F-22 jet is middling fighter but good at producing jobs" in Maryland
• "State Jobs In Jeopardy As Pentagon Signals End Of F-22 Jet Production" in Connecticut
• "Marietta jobs on the line as Pentagon declines F-22s" in Georgia

Gates acknowledged that he would probably face opposition from lawmakers eager to protect jobs in their districts. "My hope is that members of Congress will rise above parochial interests and consider what is in the best interest of the nation as a whole," he said.

So --we have the winds of change, but it's hard to huff and puff strong enough to blow the weapons programs down.

That's where you come in. You have to let your Members of Congress know that you want them to go out on a limb and cut those weapons programs. And to fund other programs that will create jobs just as well.

Again, we'll spread the good news that we can create more better jobs when we invest our public money in programs that are not military. Again -- not easy. But vital.

With high hopes for a more peaceful world --

Susan Shaer, WAND Executive Director

Action Guide from WAND: Finding New Ways to Create Jobs The military industry stays in business because it creates millions of jobs. But other projects can do even better. It's time to reinvest our public monies.

Join in WAND’s campaign Congress Meets the Community In the next year, Congress will play an essential role in setting the agenda for vital security and budget priority issues. Let them know how you feel! We can help.

Are you ready to start losing that ugly fat in YOUR Pentagon budget? Join the club! Let's help the Pentagon trim down and shape up for a new fiscal year! Vote one of these weapons systems OFF the island.