Source : KUNA
WASHINGTON, Aug 1 (KUNA) -- US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned that sweeping federal budget cuts may ground several Navy aircraft carriers and prompt a reduction of Army and Marine Corps forces by next year. Hagel told reporters late Wednesday that full result of the sweeping budget cuts over the next 10 years could leave the United States vulnerable to more technologically advanced enemies. Hagel outlined a series of worst-case scenarios - including potential pay and benefit reductions for active duty forces, civilian personnel and retirees - that would also impact the Navy, Marines and the Air Force if steps to are not taken. Hagel said the Pentagon could be forced to slash over USD 50 billion from next year's budget and USD 500 billion over the next 10 years as a result of automatic spending cuts passed by Congress. However, Hagel insisted that the department is not exaggerating the impact. "I know there's politics in all this," Hagel said. "But what we're trying to project here is not crying wolf or not trying to overstate or overhype. "This strategic choice would result in a force that would be technologically dominant, but would be much smaller and able to go fewer places and do fewer things, especially if crises occurred at the same time in different regions of the world," Hagel said. The active-duty Army could shrink to as low as 380,000 active-duty soldiers by 2017, as Hagel outlined a choice between cutting the size of the military or keeping its technological edge. Hagel said "everything is on the table." His comments came just as Congress prepares to head home for its summer recess after which lawmakers and the White House will again face key fiscal decisions on spending and federal borrowing. The Pentagon also is planning to slash spending voluntarily as it moves away from more than a decade of warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan and prepares to reorganize. (end) hy.asa KUNA 011012 Aug 13NNNN
