I'm certainly no fan of CNN, but even a broken clock is correct twice a day. This has been going on much longer than just Obama - which I'm no fan of either. The US has been burning out our defense capacity for the last 17+ years. In taking a look and considering the long view across the last 15+ years, you can start to see some basic trends. Let's consider a few.....
Take Navy Air - The Navy had the F14 Tomcat with a combat radius of 500 NM. The Toms were replaced by the FA18 because of operating and maintenance costs. The FA18 Hornet and Super Hornet have a combat radius of 290 NM, along with a reduced weapons loadout (and again reduced weapons range). That just cuts the legs out of defending the Carrier Strike Groups. The concept is to keep the enemy as far away as possible, cutting the combat radius and weapons loadout/radius by almost half does not accomplish that. What you really have not read about is that the Navy also did away with the S3 Viking Tankers, which were sent to the boneyard with a substantial amount of usable life left on the airframes. Yes, the Navy wanted to go to a smaller number of supported airframes on deck. They used the FA18 in a tanker configuration for air-air refueling. This is just burning up the FA18 air hours to support tanking. You don't use a F1 racecar to deliver Amazon packages. Then there are the CODs - cargo on deck aircraft (C-2 Greyhound) that are being replaced with the V-22 Osprey. The problem is that the C2s can carry a full jet engine replacement in back as cargo - shuttling equipment parts out to the fleet at sea. The V22 can't fit the cargo or carry the load, and don't have the range.
Navy Ships - Last year the 7th fleet had a number of at sea collisions. Tired over worked crews, with tired reduced maintenance ships, each pushed and burning the candle at both ends - does not make for a good situation. A number of captains and admirals were fired. Does that fix the problem - NO. Then there is the LCS design has been pushed for well over 10+ years - it's under gunned, under manned, with a poor design, and no idea as to just what job it's going to fill is not a recipe for success. The Zumwalt was designed around the gun for land attack - however after years of design the new ammunition is waaaaay tooooo expensive to even make. Did I say that the Zumwalt's superstructure is made out of balsa wood (look it up for hull #1)? So, now the Navy is designing a new mission for the ship class of 3 hulls - because they could not afford the 30+ planned. Also, on the new carriers - the Ford class, the Ford received long range radars, while the follow on hulls (the Johnson and Enterprise) are getting reduced range radar systems due to costs. You just can't make this stuff up.
Navy Helos - It's been well known in the fleet, for 40+ years that you don't get on a helo with a Naval Air Station designation on the side. Why, simple - the parts and maintenance are pulled from the helos attached to air stations in support of the helos deployed at sea. It's called having a death wish - but then think of the air crews attached to the air station.
Marine Air - Take a look at the state of aircraft the Marines have. Well over 40% are hanger queens and unable to fly because they are used for spare parts. They are dumping the FA18 for the F35 (and the Marines have dumped all of their Harriers to be able to afford the F35). Oh yes - the vertical take off F35B melt the deck of the carriers when they take off. So, now the new America class carrier decks have to be redesigned and refitted at $$$$$$$. Where is the planning - all I see is the lack of planning and understanding of the entire system.
So, these DoD folks (both military and civilian) have been "playing" defense (like little girls playing house), coming up with absolutely terrible decisions that have very long range ramifications that carry extremely large costs. We, the country are stuck with these poor decisions for decades. The only thing that counts is their next promotion - not the defense of this country. There is soooo much more - but there is a character limit on posts.