Rumsfeld Warns Defense Cuts Could Lead to Return of Security Gaps February 24, 2012

(AP) – Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld tells military officers that any perceived weakness in U.S. power is a greater threat to the country than another nation or terrorist cell.

Rumsfeld said Friday during a speech at Fort Leavenworth that past cuts in defense and intelligence spending led to gaps in security. He cautions it could happen again under current tight federal budgets.

Rumsfeld served under Presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush and was in charge of the Pentagon during the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He retired in 2006.

He spoke to more than 1,000 U.S. and international officers at the northeast Kansas post, then signed copies of his memoir, “Known and Unknown,” for the public. He has been touring the country promoting the book.

Hartzler Says Defense Cuts on the Board Too Drastic November 29, 2011

From the Missourinet:

The Super Committee charged with coming up with a trillion dollars in budget recommendations has failed, and Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler says now defense spending is on the line.

She says President Obama has defended those cuts as necessary for balancing the budget, and that’s not the case. She calls him irresponsible as Commander in Cheif to let the funding take a hit. She says the percentage of the budget allocated to defense spending is already the lowest its been in years, and more cuts would cripple national security. But not everyone in Congress agrees. She says she’ll be working with others to find someplace else to cut, like mandatory spending programs.

She says she’ll be introducing legislation that reforms mandatory spending programs to save the country money that could be put into defense spending. Hartzler represents the areas that contain Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman Airforce Base.