cutting bureaucracy doesn't mean you don't support veterans...I am one, and I feel fairly confident that you could shrink the administrative oversight staff by about 1/3 and nobody would notice the difference. Reduce all of the non-essential functions and focus solely on healthcare and benefits.

Didn't like Zinke during Trump 1 and didn't vote for him when I was in Montana. However, he has a military background and is dead right that Russia will not give up its only warm water port without major carnage. That's been an existential issue since Peter the Great. Headline is misleading.

Every year a larger portion of total budget is spent on manpower leaving less to spend on operations. Dept of Def model brings in fresh expertise and balances the career force through retraining and up or out movement. Much better use of personnel dollars without impacting mission.

An up or out model frees up room for new hires at lower levels of cost & experience. Allowing people to stagnate results in gross inefficiencies that already inhibit mission accomplishment. Decentralizing functions further reduces costs and puts management closer to the “business end” of ops.

if you've ever spent time in DC you would know every gov agency has a problem with too many staff that won't retire. There is no mandatory up-or-out model such as in the military and no other way to bring new ideas in. Making these moves is not inherently bad. Nor is reforming the civil service.