Gates' budget would reshape U.S. Priorities
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a major reshaping of the Pentagon budget yesterday, with deep cuts in many traditional weapons systems but billions of dollars for others, along with more troops and new technology to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ref. Source 2
Troop cuts and civilian layoffs are imminent unless Congress and the White House reach a deal to avert another round of automatic budget cuts this fall, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told USA TODAY. The cuts, known as the sequester, call for about $500 billion in defense cuts through the end of the decade. They are set to begin with the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. Ref. USAToday
Pacom Chief: Fiscal Climate Threatens To Hollow U.S. Military
US Military News
Unpredictable funding and the budget sequester are steadily eroding military readiness, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command told American Forces Press Service.
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Exclusive: Pentagon to boost missile defense spending by over $4 billion: sources:
Nearly $1 billion of that sum will pay for a new homeland defense radar to be placed in Alaska, with an additional $560 million to fund work on a new interceptor after several failed flight tests Ref. Source 6
"Americans" Remain Divided on Military Spending:
Americans' views of the money spent on national defense and the military have held fairly steady in recent years, with 37% now saying the nation spends too much and 28% saying it spends too little. The rest say spending is about right. Ref. Source 6
Pentagon Gives Pink Slips To Thousands Of Soldiers
The Pentagon is laying off thousands of officers due to sequestration budget cuts to the Defense Department, including active those actively serving overseas in Afghanistan.
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Wars' Cost to U.S. Since the Sept. 11 2001: $1.6 Trillion :
A June cost-of-war assessment by Neta Crawford, a political science professor at Boston University, put the potential total cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and assistance to Pakistan since 2001 at $4.4 trillion, including $316 billion in interest costs and $1 trillion through 2054 for veterans care. Ref. Source 3