Does new DoD strategy mean more unemployed vets (and a richer Halliburton)?

The U.S. Department of Defense today released its new lean-and-mean military strategy.

In order to save money, headcounts will be reduced. That means fewer soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. And this comes at a time when our young military veterans are facing an unemployment rate of some 30 percent (and rising). As the numbers of active troops decline, it is reasonable to expect that unemployment rate to rise as well, barring a job market miracle.

Instead of cutting our number of military personnel, why not put them to work doing useful things that will ultimately save taxpayer dollars?

For example:

The U.S. government continues to pay civilian military contractors (i.e., war profiteers) billions of dollars for work that could be done much more cheaply by soldiers -- and those soldiers would probably do a better job.

The State Department alone has budgeted $3.8 billion in expenses for operations in Iraq during the 2012 fiscal year, including "mission operations, such as security, logistics, and life support, as well as construction ... and other general management expenses."

And the military is looking to replace troops in Afghanistan with high-priced civilian contractors as well.

That's no way to save money!

And it's no way to support our troops.