Delegation must fight to keep military in NM

President Barack Obama's pick for defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, probably will be confirmed, despite some pushback over his positions on Iran sanctions, support for Israel and what have been characterized as questionable comments about Jews and gays.

But those are the wrong questions.

The right questions concern Hagel's vision for America's military and whether like his predecessors of both parties he will fight to keep it from being decimated by budget cuts.

In a state like New Mexico, with significant military installations and national defense labs, these are not academic questions but ones that should get some attention from our congressional delegation.

Hagel's credentials are fine. He is a former Republican senator from Nebraska. He is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who as an enlisted soldier knows the down and dirty realities of war.

He was deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration under President Ronald Reagan. He is co-chairman of the president's Intelligence Advisory Board and a member of the defense secretary's Policy Advisory Board.

And he is said to be a realist who has the well-being of the troops at heart. There's something reassuring about a former sergeant running the agency charged with defending the country.

But that said, with debt ceiling talks and sequestration on the immediate horizon, the reality is that Hagel, if confirmed, likely will preside over an administration-driven move to dramatically reduce the size of the U.S. military. And Hagel has said he thinks "the Pentagon needs to be pared down."

That's hard to dispute. The question is, to what extent.

Although Obama did not run for re-election on a platform of dismantling the military, he has signaled that he's open to significant reductions in the U.S. nuclear defense stockpile and in a smaller military.

Not that there isn't room for a leaner military. The Government Accountability Office has been identifying waste in military spending for years.

But unlike Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, also a congressional veteran, the White House while insisting sequestration will not happen has been relatively silent on the damage it would do to America's military.

In addition to weakening the country's strategic military strength in a dangerous world with a surging China and a surly Russia — not to mention dumping thousands of laid-off defense employees into a struggling job market — severe reductions in defense spending could have a huge impact on New Mexico.

New Mexicans should not be surprised if this turns out to be Obama's plan. And if the Department of Defense finds itself without a strong defender at its helm, our newly elected congressional delegation should be prepared to fight hard to keep America's military at an adequate, strong level — and in New Mexico.

— Albuquerque Journal