Trump’s defense plans sweet music for Bragg
Donald Trump wasn’t the top presidential vote-getter in Cumberland County on Election Day. He lost by more than 20,000 votes. But if he makes good on the promises he made in Fayetteville Tuesday evening, he'll erase that deficit and be a local hero.
The president-elect brought his victory tour to the Crown Coliseum Tuesday, a venue that has hosted candidate Trump before. The party this time wasn’t as raucous, but it certainly was upbeat.
Trump wisely chose the hometown of America’s largest military post for a speech that assured his commitment to a stronger American defense. He has underlined that resolve by choosing retired generals for his secretaries of defense and homeland security and for his national security adviser.
In Fayetteville on Tuesday, Trump vowed that his first budget recommendation will be to end the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration. The meat-ax approach has dealt a heavy blow to the Fort Bragg community, ending scores of military contracts and thousands of contracting jobs, as well as civilian Defense Department positions. It has removed important resources at a time when Fort Bragg’s airborne and special operations troops are heavily engaged in the struggle against international terrorism. And it has crippled some training efforts, most notably with the removal of the post’s only resident airlift wing, the 440th.
“We will have such a strong military,” Trump said Tuesday evening. “It’s not going to be depleted any longer. We will have the finest equipment in the world. It will be new. It’s going to be modern. It’s going to be clean.” To add emphasis and credibility, Trump brought along his pick for defense secretary, retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis, who spoke briefly.
The president-elect has unveiled a host of cuts he proposes for most of the non-military federal government departments but has insisted all along that he will sharply increase defense spending.
Putting a recently retired general at the Pentagon’s helm is an unusual move that challenges the longstanding philosophy of civilian oversight of our armed forces. Mattis’ confirmation will require special legislation from Congress. But with Mattis in charge, it’s likely that defense budgets will be keyed more to actual needs. That’s good news for Fort Bragg and the communities around it.
Nobody really knows what to expect from such an unconventional politician, but if he makes good on his promises, a Trump presidency could be very good for Fort Bragg and a region tightly linked to the post.
This story was originally published December 9, 2016 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Trump’s defense plans sweet music for Bragg."