Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) and respected military experts responded to the concerns raised by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) regarding his legislation, the REDUCE Act. Earlier this month, Rep. Calvert introduced the REDUCE Act (H.R. 4257), which would require the Department of Defense (DOD) to make civilian workforce reductions over the next five years in a systematic manner without compromising our ability to maintain a strong national defense over the long term. Rep. Calvert is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
"If we fail to make the tough but necessary decisions required to get our military budget under control, there's no doubt our national security will be negatively impacted," said Rep. Calvert. "I'd rather that we bring down costs responsibly through civilian attrition and performance-based decisions instead of on the backs of our warfighters."
"What the Union conveniently misses is that the DOD is grossly overstaffed and large efficiencies can be gained with reduced staffing," said Secretary Gordon England. "Their assumption is that government employees will be replaced with contractors, a false assumption."
Gordon England served as the 29th Deputy Secretary of Defense from January 2006 to February 2009. He previously served as the 72nd and 73rd Secretary of the Navy and as the first Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
"The REDUCE Act is a sensible attempt to ensure that those providing "back office" support to our fighting forces are reduced by percentages at least commensurate with the sharp reductions in the levels of those forces, if not more so," said Dr. Dov. Zakheim. "Those who oppose these reductions are not sufficiently sensitive to the requirements mandated by our national security."