Cutting the Crusader is first step to broader transformation  

(Washington, D.C.) – The success of President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's effort to transform the U.S. military into a 21^st century fighting force has come under friendly fire.  They have requested elimination of the Crusader, a lumbering, 40-ton artillery gun designed to fight the Soviets on the plains of Europe, which carries a final price tag of $11 billion.  Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) calls on the House and Senate to put aside parochial politics and fall into rank behind the commander-in-chief in this time of war.

"The elimination of the Crusader is an important first step to military reform," CAGW President Tom Schatz said.  "The Pentagon and White House both think this money would be better spent on flexible, high-tech projects like satellite-guided weapons and unmanned aircraft, and they are correct.  In this war on terror, the country can no longer afford to dilly dally in parochial politics." 

Despite repeated efforts by Rumsfeld and Bush, the House has passed a nonbinding resolution telling the Pentagon not to cancel the Crusader before studying alternatives, effectively prolonging the program for another year.  Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to continue the program for $475 million but rejected language that would protect the program from termination.  Bush has vowed to veto any final defense bill that limits his ability to reform the military to fit 21^st century requirements.

"The battle over the Crusader is important for the precedent it sets," continued Schatz. "Congressional efforts to save jobs under the guise of national security cannot be allowed to derail military reform.  The United States will spend $383 billion on national defense in 2003, yet there are crucial objectives being unmet.  We must trim the marginal projects."

CAGW listed the Crusader in its 2001 Prime Cuts, a catalog of potential cuts throughout the U.S. government.  Other Pentagon programs CAGW advocates for reform, reduction, or elimination:  the Air Force's F-22 fighter, the V-22 aircraft, the Navy's F/A-18E fighter, the DDG-51 Destroyer, naval frigates, the Comanche Helicopter, the DD-21 Land-Attack Destroyer, and the Virginia Class Attack Submarine.  In addition, CAGW calls for another round of military base closings prior to the one currently scheduled for 2005, an end to the Army Corps of Engineers involvement in local water projects, and for elimination of Pentagon credit card fraud.  The total five-year cost savings in Prime Cuts comes out to an astounding $153.6 billion.

"The president and Secretary Rumsfeld must stand strong in their efforts to eradicate waste and make today's military more efficient," concluded Schatz.  "It is important to prevent national security policy from falling into the hands of self-serving bureaucracies and politicians working to protect their own narrow interests, and it's important we get the job done quickly."

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.