Donald Trump criticized the Defense Department for its history of costly acquisition programs during the debate Monday, suggesting those managing them have done so poorly. The issue is a frequent punching bag for politicians, especially Democrats who would prefer to see that money spent on domestic programs and libertarians. A variety of current defense projects are considered over budget, particularly the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. “When the next administration takes office in January 2017, it will need to make many difficult choices to rationalize long-term defense modernization plans with the resources available,” the report said. “Understanding these long-term modernization plans — and the budgets associated with them — is important because the sooner adjustments are made the less disruptive and costly they will be.”

Source: Washington Post September 27, 2016 00:37 UTC