ruel of a figure. issue three, pentagon featherbedding. >> we spend too much on national defense.early $700 billion. that's what secretary of defense, robert gates believes and says. he wants to slash $100 billion from the defense budget over five years. the current defense budget is almost 1/5 of the total u.s. budget and the total u.s. budget is $3.5 trillion. >> the culture of endless money that has taken hold must be replaced by a culture of savings and restraint. >> secretary gates is practicing what he preaches. he said that last year the department made more than 30 tough choices. canceling or curtailing major weapon system that were performing poorly or in excess to real world needs. about $330 billion worth. besides hardware heavy, the pentagon is also personnel heavy. what gates calls grass creep. generals and admirals, nearly 1,000 of them. deputy assistance secretaries of defense, 530. in 1960, there were 78. as for musicians in the military, there are more u.s. military ban members than our 6,000 foreign service offices. chairman of the joint chief of staff concurs wi

ruel of a figure. issue three, pentagon featherbedding. >> we spend too much on national defense.replaced by a culture of savings and restraint. >> secretary gates is practicing what he preaches. he said that last year the department made more than 30 tough choices. canceling or curtailing major weapon system that were performing poorly or in excess to real world needs. about $330 billion worth. besides hardware heavy, the pentagon is also personnel heavy. what gates calls grass creep. generals and admirals, nearly 1,000 of them. deputy assistance secretaries of defense, 530. in 1960, there were 78. as for musicians in the military, there are more u.s. military ban members than our 6,000 foreign service offices. chairman of the joint chief of staff concurs with secretary gates on cutbacks. >> one of the things that secretary gates is addressing and i think rightfully so is the whole issue of what he calls brass creed. i think that is something we need to look at, not just on the military side. there's vilian part of the creep which occurred as well. >> question, why are mullen and