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Tight budget may force Pentagon to cut forces: general
Reuters ^ | 9 Feb 13 | David Alexander

Posted on 02/09/2013 4:46:32 PM PST by SkyPilot

The Pentagon will have to cut the size of U.S. military forces for the second time in as many years if across-the-board spending reductions of $470 billion over 10 years take effect March 1, the top U.S. military officer said on Saturday.

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said about a third of the cuts would have to come from forces, with the remaining two-thirds taken from spending on modernization, compensation and readiness.

He noted that the Army had begun to shrink last year toward 490,000 from a high of 570,000, a result of efforts to trim $487 billion over 10 years as required by the Budget Control Act of 2011.

The Budget Control Act also envisioned the additional across-the-board cuts under a process known as sequestration. If those cuts go into effect, "the Army will have to come down again," Dempsey said.

Speaking to reporters traveling with him to Afghanistan, Dempsey said two recent high-profile examples of belt-tightening were attempts by the Pentagon to adapt to the current challenging budget climate and had nothing to do with sequestration.

The Pentagon said last week it would seek a smaller-than-expected pay increase of 1 percent for military personnel in the 2014 fiscal year budget. Pay increases have generally been pegged to an employment cost index and had been expected to rise 1.7 percent.

"That action is being taken to help us absorb the $487 billion in the Budget Control Act. It has nothing to do with sequestration," Dempsey said.

A defense official said the lower pay increase would save the department about $470 million during the 2014 fiscal year. The savings would amount to $3 billion over five years because future increases would be based on the lower 2014 raise.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: budget; cuts; military; sequestration
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Dempsey said the decision this week to delay deployment of the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East was to adjust to funding for the 2013 fiscal year.

We can't fund carrier strike groups, but Republicans and Democrats in Congress fully funded (for another year) extending unemployment benefits (yet again) to the tune of Billions of Dollars.

Entitlements are exempt from sequestration, and are 62% of the budget, yet we rape the military, and even the Republicans are cheering this time.

The DoD is under a triple curse: the previous Obama cuts of $487 Billion, the Continuting Resolution, and now the looming $600+ Billion in Sequestration cuts.

"What we've got to make clear to the Congress next week (is) that it's not just about sequestration. We're trying to absorb the $487 billion Budget Control Act, we're trying to absorb the challenges that were imposed on us by the continuing resolution and we're anticipating absorbing sequestration," Dempsey said.

Good thing everybody who wants one is getting "their" check though.


1 posted on 02/09/2013 4:46:40 PM PST by SkyPilot
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To: SkyPilot

Obama targets military it is all BS.


2 posted on 02/09/2013 4:49:15 PM PST by boomop1 (term limits will only save this country.)
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To: SkyPilot

Sort of hard to believe we can afford to give a bunch of F-16s to a country controlled by terrorists.


3 posted on 02/09/2013 4:49:25 PM PST by yarddog (One shot one miss.)
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To: SkyPilot

Not to worry. The Gays and the Women will be safe from these cuts.


4 posted on 02/09/2013 4:55:19 PM PST by rbg81
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To: SkyPilot

Pharaoh Obumer must trying to get that Army down to what was authorized in the 1930’s; 127,000.


5 posted on 02/09/2013 4:57:39 PM PST by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
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To: SkyPilot
We can't fund carrier strike groups, but Republicans and Democrats in Congress fully funded (for another year) extending unemployment benefits (yet again) to the tune of Billions of Dollars.

When threatened with budget cuts, the heads of an organization present the more drastic alternatives to cutting actual waste.

Every organization wastes money. When I was in the corporate world I saw tremendous waste. When I was in the military I saw even more. The individual men and women in the military deserve our greatest respect. But as an organization, the military is another government agency subject to the same tendencies to bloated bureaucracy and fiscal negligence as any other.

6 posted on 02/09/2013 5:00:00 PM PST by TexasKamaAina
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To: SkyPilot

I can name a few generals we can get rid of.


7 posted on 02/09/2013 5:01:21 PM PST by rfreedom4u (I have a copy of the Constitution! And I'm not afraid to use it!)
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To: SkyPilot

Congress is too stupid to figure out how to write their own budget for five years, but smart enough to tell the Military what their budget will be.

Amazing...


8 posted on 02/09/2013 5:04:15 PM PST by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: SkyPilot
For the amount of debt/liabilities the US has/skin in the global game, they better fund a powerful military, if default happens, its every nation for themselves. Interesting times, yet we gut the military in favor for an entitlement class, lol.
9 posted on 02/09/2013 5:05:28 PM PST by rollo tomasi (Working hard to pay for deadbeats and corrupt politicians.)
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To: rollo tomasi

Interesting times, yet we gut the military in favor for an entitlement class, lol.


There’s a few reasons for that:
1. The Military (still) leans right
2. There are a lot more Welfare state clients than Military—its just a bigger voting block
3. The Left will always believe the Military is bad. Until they start rounding up and executing conservatives, that is.


10 posted on 02/09/2013 5:08:27 PM PST by rbg81
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To: TexasKamaAina
Yet the military are the only "bloated" bureaucracy on the chopping block that produces results, you know your priorities, so does the GOP leadership, lol.
11 posted on 02/09/2013 5:09:34 PM PST by rollo tomasi (Working hard to pay for deadbeats and corrupt politicians.)
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To: rollo tomasi

Obama called for these cuts. He is going to win wars with his drones.


12 posted on 02/09/2013 5:09:53 PM PST by abclily
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To: rbg81

Yes we all know that, apparently the GOP leadership does not give a hoot which is really interesting.


13 posted on 02/09/2013 5:11:28 PM PST by rollo tomasi (Working hard to pay for deadbeats and corrupt politicians.)
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To: boomop1; SkyPilot

With all the recent ammo sales, and other diverse goings on, I think it is a good possibility that this administration has/is creating a black citizen suppression army. The standing army will not fight citizens within the country’s boundaries.

That will be Obama’s top priority if he has his way. Our regular army serves no purpose to Obama.


14 posted on 02/09/2013 5:12:44 PM PST by ImJustAnotherOkie (zerogottago)
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To: abclily
GOP in 2011/12 were in favor of this “Super committee” or military cuts ruse, yet you blame Obama 100% for this, hmmm.
15 posted on 02/09/2013 5:15:25 PM PST by rollo tomasi (Working hard to pay for deadbeats and corrupt politicians.)
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To: rollo tomasi

Obama’s sequester bluff has backfired on him.


16 posted on 02/09/2013 5:20:33 PM PST by abclily
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To: SkyPilot

Obama is going to cut the military budget no matter what sequestration does. It’s better to let sequestration go on and thus give the Republicans more leverage, than give in now, and have the military cut anyway.


17 posted on 02/09/2013 5:21:31 PM PST by norwaypinesavage (Galileo: In science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of one individual)
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To: SkyPilot
this all phony

sequester only cuts the increases - what is being spent today is not affected.

this, IMO, all aimed at manipulating the American mind and put pressure on our weak kneed politicians.

18 posted on 02/09/2013 5:26:57 PM PST by elpadre (AfganistaMr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-hereQaeda" and its allies.)
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To: norwaypinesavage
No, contrary to FR unpopular belief, Obama cares about some mythological legacy and the 2014 Congressional elections. If the O has another negative quarter brought on by military cuts, that means (Technically) a recession. In 2011, the Boehner had the Dems by the balls and somehow let them off the hook (Some freepers said he was playing an awesome game of chess). Romney lost, so went Boehner’s chess game.
19 posted on 02/09/2013 5:27:27 PM PST by rollo tomasi (Working hard to pay for deadbeats and corrupt politicians.)
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To: SkyPilot

Look at the medals that Dempsey is wearing. The guy has been driving a desk and anal smooching his whole career. That’s why he is in the top job to help ruin the military.


20 posted on 02/09/2013 5:30:36 PM PST by RetiredTexasVet (The Progressive mind...an arid ethical and moral wasteland!)
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