The Democratic party’s new platform calls for continuing to cancel “Cold War-era” weapons programs and also expresses support for the nearly $500 billion in Pentagon budget cuts already approved by the Budget Control Act of 2011.
As the Democratic National Convention neared its official kickoff last night in Charlotte, N.C., delegates were poised to approve an updated platform. It says decision-makers must “make tough budgetary decisions across the board–and that includes within the defense budget.”
This Democratic platform–which is a document that outlines the party’s views on sundry policy issues–clashes with the one Republican National Convention delegates approved last week in Tampa (Defense Daily, Aug. 28). The GOP platform tries to blame President Barack Obama for two levels of defense cuts ushered in by the Budget Control Act–a $487 billion reduction the Pentagon has planned for and another $500 billion in so-called “sequestration” cuts that may or may not start next year.
Roughly 6,000 Democratic convention delegates plan to nominate Obama as their presidential candidate today, after they were expected to approve the new platform last night. And that document, crafted by the Democratic party faithful, notes that the “Budget Control Act enacted by Congress last year, with the support of Republicans and Democrats alike, mandates reductions in federal spending, including defense spending.”
“The administration has worked with Congress to make these decisions, which has been a strategy-driven process,” the Democratic platform asserts.
It says after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan–and the subsequent “conclusion of long-term nation-building with large military footprints”–the United States will “be able to ensure our security with a more agile and more flexible force.”
“At the same time, we will continue to emphasize forward engagement in critical regions, while enhancing robust security partnerships to share the burden,” the Democratic platform asserts. “And we will continue to get rid of outdated Cold War-era systems so that we can invest in cutting-edge technologies and maintain a versatile set of capabilities required to execute a wide range of military missions.”
Under the heading “Maintaining the Strongest Military in the World,” the Democrats’ document says “America’s unrivaled military capabilities” represent a “core pillar of our global leadership.”
“After more than a decade of war, we have an opportunity to retool our armed forces and our defense strategy to ensure we both maintain the world’s most capable military and adapt to the challenges of the 21st Century,” it says.
Troops, it assets, must have “the equipment and the support” they need to fulfill their missions.
The platform, in contrast to the Republican’s version, also supports further reductions in the U.S. nuclear stockpile and touts the Obama administration’s goals for enhancing cybersecurity.
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney reacted yesterday to the Democratic platform’s failure to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“Four years of President Obama’s repeated attempts to create distance between the United States and our cherished ally have led the Democratic Party to remove from their platform an unequivocal acknowledgment of a simple reality,” Romney said in a statement. “As president, I will restore our relationship with Israel and stand shoulder to shoulder with our close ally.”