PPoliceolice ooffiffi ccersers rraiseaise tthehe fl aagg ooff tthehe RRepublicepublic ooff tthehe MMarshallarshall IIslandsslands dduringuring tthehe KKwajaleinwajalein AAtolltoll MMemorialemorial DDayay oobservancebservance oonn EEbeye.beye. CCoverageoverage sstartstarts oonn PPageage 44.. Friday, Feb. 15, 2008 (Photo by Nell Drumheller) The Kwajalein Hourglass www.smdc.army.mil/KWAJ/Hourglass/hourglass.html commentary Superpowering is super expensive Anyone who has read my com- billion more for continuing operations in mentaries can fi gure out that I’m very Iraq and Afghanistan through 2009. pro-military. I researched our military spending I fervently believe in a strong national and what I discovered is very interest- defense and that the United States ing. The latest information I found was should always strive to have a military from 2004 to 2006. that can provide that defense. In 2004, according to an article by In the last issue of the Hourglass, I Peter Starck of Reuters, world defense wrote about how I remember the Carter spending was $1.4 trillion (in U.S. dol- administration. I remember how under- lars). The United States accounted for manned and under supplied the military almost 50 percent ($455 billion) of that But I began wondering how much was then. Air Force planes couldn’t fl y total expenditure. In addition, according other nations spend on their defense. and Navy ships couldn’t sail because to the article, the U.S. provided nearly The amounts I’ve listed are from there were no spare parts or money for 28 percent of NATO’s budget. 2005, but I would guess it hasn’t required maintenance. The Army and Since 2003, the United States has changed all that much since then. Marines didn’t have enough equipment, maintained more than 820 bases in at Here’s a list of some of our allies and including even basic needs such as am- least 39 countries according to many what they spent on defense (in U.S. munition. Our military was a shadow of reports I’ve read. Some say that num- dollars) in 2005: itself during the Carter years. ber is even higher. • Japan (2003) 46.9 billion Ronald Reagan came along after The bill to operate those bases isn’t • United Kingdom 38.4 billion Carter and rebuilt the military. That took cheap, especially with the falling dollar • France 29.5 billion a lot of money after years of neglect. and rising fuel prices. I’m sure the U.S. • Germany 24.9 billion Reagan’s critics say he spent too much, accounts for much more than 50 per- • South Korea 20.0 billion but most Americans, including myself, cent of world defense spending these • Italy 19.4 billion thought it was warranted because we days. • Spain 8.4 billion had a powerful foe in the Soviet Union. Consider just one fact. The U.S. has • Canada 7.4 billion But now, I have to say that when 11 aircraft carriers, nine of which are • Netherlands 6.6 billion I heard and read about the defense the Nimitz supercarrier class, each of • Turkey 5.8 billion spending in the newly proposed federal which cost approximately $4.5 billion to • Norway 3.8 billion budget, it gave me great pause. build and cost up to $25 million a day • Greece 3.5 billion The proposed fi gure for defense is an to operate. I don’t have any problem • Poland 3.5 billion eye-popping $514 billion, and appar- with that because of all the weapons we • Belgium 2.5 billion ently from what I’ve heard and read, have in our arsenal, they are probably that doesn’t include an estimated $200 the most strategically important. See SUPERPOWER, Page 20 USAKA To Sunrise Bakery. Now customers can People of the Week get a real espresso The staff of Kwajalein Hospital are always in a biodegradable professional, caring, cheerful and ready to paper cup and can assist with any medical needs the pay for it with community may have. plastic. Thanks. TThehe KKwajaleinwajalein HHourglassourglass The Kwajalein Hourglass is named for the offi cial views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Gov- Printed circulation:1,500 insignia of the U.S. Army 7th Infantry Division, ernment, Department of Defense, Department of E-mail: [email protected] which liberated the island from the forces of the Army or USAKA. It is published Saturdays in Commanding Offi cer......Col. Stevenson Reed Imperial Japan on Feb. 4, 1944. accordance with Army Regulation 360-1 and us- Public Affairs Offi cer (acting).....Marco Morales ing a network printer by Kwajalein Range Services The Kwajalein Hourglass is an authorized Editor......................................Nell Drumheller publication for military personnel, federal em- editorial staff. ployees, contractor workers and their families P.O. Box 23, APO AP 96555 Graphics Designer..........................Dan Adler assigned to U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll. Con- Phone: Defense Switching Network 254-3539; Reporter..............................................JJ Klein tents of The Hourglass are not necessarily Local phone: 53539 The Kwajalein Hourglass 2 Friday, Feb. 15, 2008 U.S. ambassador gives views on Kwajalein transition, relations with Marshall Islands By Marco Morales to degree possible the job opportu- U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll Public Affairs Offi cer nities for both Americans and the Marshallese. The U.S. Ambassador the Republic Colonel Reed and I are very much of the Marshall Islands Clyde Bishop aware that the fi nal [Transforma- stopped over on Kwajalein last week tion] plan will have an impact on in conjunction with his offi cial visit the Marshallese community. And, to Ebeye in support of the Kwajalein in the past, we have kept the admin- Memorial Day celebration on Sat- istration abreast as the plan began to urday. Bishop has been working develop in a more formal fashion. closely with the Col. Stevenson Reed, When it is in its final phase U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan — which should be shortly, it is be- Test Site commander on its Trans- ing addressed by the leadership in formation Plan. Washington — we intend to share the plan with the present administration Q. Ambassador Bishop, how do you so they know that, not only are we see our relationship [U.S. government] concerned, but recognize our respon- with the Republic of the Marshall Is- sibility to communicate with them in lands government? terms of the consequences, and to A. As you probably know I’ve been some extent, some of the resolutions the U.S. Ambassador to the RMI for that the plan refl ects. a little over a year now. And I’d have U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of to say that in characterizing our re- Q. The Marshall Islands celebrated the Marshall Islands Clyde Bishop, its Annual Kwajalein Atoll Memorial lationship with the RMI it has been speaks at the Kwajalein Atoll Memorial extremely positive. I think there ex- Day on Saturday; how do you feel Day Saturday. (Photo by Nell Drumheller) ists a mutual respect and a mutual about the ceremony conducted on Ebeye? interest in what is of benefi t to both the administration and the cabinet. A. This was my second opportunity nations. I’ve already had an initial meeting to participate in it. I think what is This is not surprising since the re- with the president which was very important is that we ought not for- lationship between the U.S. and the cordial and respectful and I look for- get what the ceremony represents. Marshall Islands goes back numbers ward to us working together to deal And as I mentioned in my remarks, of years. And what I’ve seen in the with some of the issues that are com- what is I think most emblematic of year that I’ve been here is just a re- mon to both countries. amplifi cation, a reinforcement, and the ceremony is the fact that when we refl ect back, we’re talking about a recommitment to those. Part of Q. How do you feel about the a very unfortunately bloody period in your question probably also deals USAKA/RTS Transformation? the history of the United States. And with the fact that there’s a change A. I must commend Colonel Reed in that particular case, in its confl ict in the administration. for his involvement with the em- with Japan. Some have suggested, ironically, bassy in the process. He took our Yet today, we see the Japanese that my extended absence from the concerns quite seriously and I see government and the U.S. govern- RMI was a refl ection in terms of the them refl ected in the transformation ment working collectively and jointly outcome of the election. Nothing program. I think what you can char- to address some of the concerns in could be further from the truth. acterize in terms of the plan which the Marshall Islands. As I indicated previously, I had is still evolving and ultimately needs So, when I look at the memorial personal commitments in the U.S. the blessings of the key leadership of service one cannot dismiss the fact which required me to stay for an the United States government. that there were many lives lost. But But what you see there is a con- extended period of time. But I think what I take away from it is the fact scious effort to mitigate the conse- the election was a classic example that there is evidence that peace quences of the inevitable reduction of democracy in action. The people and tranquility and cooperativeness of a footprint here at Kwajalein. And spoke and their representatives are between two nations can evolve and that goes both in terms of Americans now empowered to move forward.