Daily Herald editorial

Ping-ponging from one excess to another is a hallmark of American government, a tendency currently playing out in discussions about how much the Obama administration wants to cut military spending. The president’s plan to scale back involvement in Europe and shrink the Army and Marine Corps, announced earlier this week, drew quick criticism but the reality is that it is too soon to say whether the plan is a good one. The smart move, for members of Congress and the public, will be to learn something about the plan’s details before reacting.

Hawks who fear excessive force reductions do have history on their side. After World War I and the Vietnam conflict, Americans who tired of war spending scaled our military readiness back — too far back, most observers now agree. Still, it is hard not to agree that the timing is right for some reductions, with the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts ending and no clear need for our massive military presence in Europe.

The president, emphasizing the subject’s importance, vowed that the United States would maintain its military superiority despite any defense cuts. We hope that is accurate. The ideal, after all, would be to spend less but maintain capability.

What we, as a nation, need to avoid is that ping-pong effect, gutting defense capability during times of peace and then frantically over-building when conflicts arise. The best antidote will be for all to take their time rather than reacting without thought.