Good luck to Defense Secretary Gates. He has announced an ambitious program of modernization for the military, which includes rethinking strategy for fighting asymmetrical warfare and finally killing off Cold War era weapons programs. He is not the first Defense Secretary to attempt the elimination of wasteful programs that no longer meet strategic needs. Congress, with defense industry jobs in home districts to protect, not to mention generous campaign contributions from defense industry lobbyists, often has different ideas.

Topics: Congress, Defense department, defense spending, F-22, Pentagon, Robert Gates