Grumpy Editor

Is ‘Taps’ looming for Stars and Stripes newspaper?

Among operations the Pentagon is eyeing in efforts to cut its overall budget:  stopping the presses of Stars and Stripes, a newspaper that made its debut in 1861 during the Civil War and since World War I has been eagerly read mainly by military personnel around the world, reports Grumpy Editor.

The daily newspaper, receiving a slim $7.8 million Defense Department subsidy for 2014, doesn’t make much of a dent in the Pentagon’s overall budget with defense spending this year passing the $700 billion mark.  But the Pentagon next year faces a $52 billion cut from planned spending levels and every one of its operations is being scrutinized.

(Yet, budget-cutting Pentagon still has a fat checkbook.  An Associated Press story over the weekend reports the  Pentagon is buying more than five dozen Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters to outfit Afghanistan’s security forces.  Price tag:  more than $1 billion.)

Stars and Stripes generates a good chunk of its budget internally via advertising, sales and special issues on education, insurance, retirement planning and travel.

Over the years, Stars and Stripes provides an editorially independent voice to its readers, now numbering about 200,000.  That’s down from its peak of more than one million during World War II but today the newspaper is seeing a growing online presence.

The publication maintains news bureaus in Europe, the Pacific and the Middle East to provide first-hand reporting on events in those theaters. In addition to news and sports, its contents contain all the elements of an American hometown paper.  That includes comics, puzzles and entertainment stories.

Stars and Stripes got its start when 10 Union soldiers utilized the abandoned newspaper office of the Bloomfield (Mo.) Herald.  (Returning to its roots, The Stars and Stripes Museum/Library is located in that city.)

At one point, the newspaper had 25 publishing locations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific.

The number of editions touched 35 during World War II, with up to 24 adless pages per issue.  Pacific editions, also without ads, started in 1945.  Stars and Stripes has since been a prime source of daily information for U.S. forces from the Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War to Iraq and Afghanistan.

While in past years most staffers wore U.S. military uniforms representing Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, today its publisher and most of its employees are civilians.

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A (huh?) report from the Federal Reserve last week noted the U.S. economy in recent months expanded at a “modest to moderate” pace.  Now, that’s a precise, nifty indicator.

Amid Syria war talk, media miss Pentagon plans for cuts

Overlooked by media in the current heavy coverage of the U.S. preparing for possible military action against Syria is that just a month ago the Pentagon proposed deep cuts in the size of the already slimmed-down Army and Marine Corps, reminds Grumpy Editor. 

With thousands of troops stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, South Korea, Japan and Germany, among other locations, Pentagon officials in early August announced they would cut at least 40,000 soldiers --- that’s equal to almost three Army divisions --- in efforts to shrink to 490,000 troops. 

Furthermore, in some scenarios, the Army could dwindle to 380,000 members, added Pentagon officials. 

This certainly would put the U.S. in a bind if conflicts broke out in the Middle East, Asia or elsewhere. 

President Barack Obama, in pushing for military action against Syria, has been repeating the line that Syria “threatens our national security interests.”  At a Wednesday news conference in Sweden, he declared he could order strikes against Syria even if Congress doesn’t authorize them. 

More on which direction looms comes today when Obama is interviewed by six TV network anchors.  Then the president addresses the nation tomorrow night. 

 

Are media fuzzy on why news jobs fade? 

“Newspapers that were once mighty fortresses of truth, justice and the American Way are either no more or shells of their former selves,” wrote Sherman Frederick, a columnist for Stephens Media, notes Grumpy Editor. 

In reminding that “thousands of newsroom employees have lost their jobs,”  Frederick cited the recent case of a political reporter at the Rochester (N.Y.)  Democrat and Chronicle who was covering President Barack Obama's visit when she was laid off in mid-story. 

“It makes you wonder why more journalists in America do not get the Obama connection,” he pointed out. 

“What I am saying,” he continued, “is that had Obama not done such a bad job of guiding the nation back from the recession, many of these jobs could have been saved. Had Obama just been an average president when it comes to the economy, we would have been back on our feet by 2011. 

“It's 2013 and I'm not sure we're out of the soup yet.” 

Meanwhile, just last week Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and chief executive who is buying the Washington Post for $250 million, said the newspaper --- which has reduced staff in recent years --- would be rendered obsolete if it continued to cut its payroll. 

 

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U.S. buys Russian helicopters for Afghanistan’s air force

Despite cries for more U.S. jobs, one of the strangest deals has American taxpayers footing the bill for almost two dozen Russian-built helicopters for use by the Afghanistan air force, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Other than Bloomberg News three months ago and this week’s issue of Bloomberg Businessweek, little has been reported by U.S. media about the unusual transaction.

Newspaper editorial page writers should get somewhat excited over this, especially during the summer doldrums.  

Bloomberg Businessweek writers Danielle Ivory and Kathleen Miller point out, “Since May 2011, the Pentagon has paid Rosoboronexport $411 million for 21 Mi-17 helicopters.” 

Rosoboronexport is the state-run arms trader that Congress says is arming Syria. 

Kazan Helicopter manufactures the medium twin-turbine transport at two Russian plants. 

The Bloomberg Businessweek writers also reveal the “Pentagon didn’t solicit bids from any other company for the helicopters.” They add that Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas) --- leading 17 U.S. senators seeking to cancel the deal --- says the no-bid order “seems just plain stupid.” 

Back on May 8, Bloomberg News writers Tony Capaccio and David Lerman reported, "The Pentagon says it’s in a bind, with nowhere to turn for helicopters needed by Afghanistan’s air force except Russia."

The Mi-17 choppers, they added, "include full Western avionics, navigation, communications and situation-awareness capability.” 

Cost of the 21 helicopters three months ago was pegged at $375 million.  That’s $36 million below the price tag noted this month. 

What’s noteworthy about this close to half a billion dollar Pentagon-spurred deal that benefits Russia is that talk in Washington includes deep cuts in the defense budget --- for the U.S.