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The Railgun

It survives in Navy’s budget, for now. As does the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance UAS, the Firescout upgrade and the X-47B Unmanned Carrier Launched Surveillance and Strike (edit) technology demonstrator program, according to Spencer Ackerman.

In related budgetary news, the armed forces plan to fire involuntarily discharge about 92,000 people over the next five years, including this one. Navy’s share in that reduction in force is only 8,600, enough sailors to man a carrier strike group.

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20 comments to The Railgun

  • Mike M. (of the UAVs)

    Minor point. X-47B does not equal UCLASS. The former is a test program to demonstrate carrier suitability of a large unmanned aircraft, the latter has not yet picked a vendor.

    • Quartermaster

      I’m guessing he means ATAC will see the hatchet as well.

      • BeachBum

        Nyet, tovarisch. The glorious freedom fighters are safe from the running dog’s budget cuts. I am to be thinking our Supreme Leader meant to say “…over the next five years, including this one (year)…” 5 years of cuts, including this year, NOT ‘cut 92,000 people including this (person).’

        Of course, I may be mistaken. As always, all prognostications guaranteed, or double your money back.

        • Quartermaster

          Rereading that line, you could be right. I really hate saying that to guy that talks Rooski at me though.

        • J.T. Wenting

          now, is it 92000 per year over 5 years or 92000 total over 5 years?
          Not that it matters, as next year they can add as many as they want to it when they announce the next round of destruction of national security.

  • SK1

    But we have plenty of Federal $$$ for BS like road projects that add mile markers and signs stating we are creating jobs (making signs of course)

    As pointed out, Veteran suffer higher unemployment than other groups so where will these 8600 Vets work?? Better still, what about all the others coming hone from deployments who will likely face getting RIF’ed in the near future ?

    With gas hitting $4 a gallon, how can the Village Idiot get re- elected ?? Only if people are as dumb and sheep-like as we hate to admit….arrrrrrrrgggghhhh.

  • jon spencer

    Wonder how many flags and ES’ers are on the block?

    • J.T. Wenting

      Are you nuts? They need a few thousand new staff rated officers just to man the new office of redundancy selection…

  • Jim Shawley

    Carrier strike groups are just so overrated nowadays, what with peace busting out all over, and Arab Springtime, and love and whatnot…

  • T.G.McCoy

    When the Mideast Powder shack goes off this talk of budgets
    will go out the window…

  • SteveC

    “Navy’s share in that reduction in force is only 8,600, enough sailors to man a carrier strike group.” – LEX

    Well, heck, you don’t need that extra strike group anyway because today Prez Obummer is reported to have asked the Joint Chiefs to reduce the number of nukes in the U.S. arsenal to a number less than held by China (alone). Which might be because he is ALSO REPORTED TO HAVE SAID that he “welcomed China’s peaceful rise.” One wonders whether he got that from looking into their eyes or at the amount of money we will need to borrow from them to satisfy his budget request and future spending needs for ‘social justice’ projects.

    So, there you have it, ladies: We don’t need a big Navy because we don’t have any weapons to carry because their only use would be to oppose the peaceful, peace-loving, totally not bad Red Chinese. I feel so much better now, don’t you??

    • virgil xenophon

      Saw the same rpt about the nukes, SteveC. Yet ANOTHER reason in A INCREASINGLY LONG LINE of reasons to consider re-locating the Duck-Blind..

    • Phalanx08

      Can you post a link to the nuclear warhead reduction story, please?

      Also, in what context did Obama say “welcomed China’s peaceful rise”? What else was said? What was the venue? I think he is meeting with the PRC President soon or the person who is slated to be the next PRC President.

  • flatlander

    Don’t sweat the cuts, since Department of State budget is actually increasing over the period. So, you know, if push comes to shove, we can always TALK THEM TO DEATH.

  • SCOTTtheBADGER

    One would almost think that neglecting defence, which is a mandated duty in the Constitution, would count as at least a misdemeanor, if not a high crime.

  • grizzledcoastie

    I remember the Coast Guard’s RIF. Back in 1993. The seemingly whole middle layer of experience in the service,thanks to HYT, went POOF! O promotions were held up. As a pretty recent transfer, I was scared to death.

    I turned out okay, but we lost a lot of good people in the aviation rates. Maintenance suffered. It took a few years to get it back.

    Being thrown to the wolves in this awful economy is pretty miserable. Why can’t we throw out some meat gazers in the FDA or some bureaucrat assistant to the assistant to the assistant making $100K per year? That’s gotta be cheaper than getting rid of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Coasties, right?

  • Sarge

    That ought to do wonders for the unemployment numbers, huh?

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