Defense Spending, Military Pay

Retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan’s April 20 commentary, “Federal Surplus Mustn’t Neglect Defense,” only lends more credence to the running joke that “military intelligence” is a contradiction in terms. Gen. Sullivan states, “we have found ourselves in a chaotic age where our substantially smaller forces are used with greater frequency and for longer durations,” implying that somehow we are involuntarily pulled into situations we had no voice in.

What is needed here is for the United States to call on our allies to better prepare their own forces for involvement in conflicts of their own making. What the Sullivans of the world are forgetting is that actions have consequences. The United States cannot keep involving itself militarily in the affairs of other countries without it biting us back sometime in the future.

Someday, somewhere, someone will grow tired of the United States sticking its armored nose in everything outside of its borders. That someone just may respond with a force of its own. And as in all wars, our so-called leaders will be light-years from the nearest bullet. Only the innocent will truly suffer.

TODD GROVES

Santa Monica

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It always fascinates me how skilled people can be in justifying a defense budget that is much more than the combined budgets of all our potential enemies.

It would be amusing if we were not neglecting much more important things in order to do so.

RICHARD FOY

Redondo Beach

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I see that the Pentagon is initiating a program to permit the lower pay grades of our armed forces to be eligible for food stamps (April 20). Am I the only one who finds it appalling that those members of our society who are dedicating their lives to protecting us in a very volatile world situation are so poorly paid that they must be classed as below the poverty level?

It is nice that the food stamps will at least make it possible for them to feed their families, but that should never be necessary. I believe that Congress and the administration should make it their highest priority to raise the armed forces pay scale so that such “charity” is in no way necessary.

BURKE BELKNAP

Oceanside