U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (L)
listens as Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General
Martin Dempsey
(R) speaks during a briefing on the Defense Department's FY2014 budget
at the Pentagon,
Apr. 10, 2013.
PENTAGON — U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has
unveiled a new budget that includes deep cuts in weapons programs, the civilian
workforce and infrastructure.
Only hours after President Barack Obama announced his
budget plan, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel unveiled his own spending blueprint,
which he says reflects a state of financial uncertainty for the Pentagon.
Hagel said the new $526 billion spending plan for the
next fiscal year will include cuts in the civilian workforce, poorly performing
weapons systems, and possible base closings.
“Fiscal realities demand that we make tough decisions
that have been deferred in the past. The longer we put this off, the
harder it’s going to be, particularly given the uncertainty that still exists
about future levels of defense spending," he said.
With cuts that mean tens of thousands of lost jobs
across the department and in areas where bases would be closed or consolidated,
analysts say the plan is not likely to pass in Congress. But they say it
may provide the Pentagon leverage to break a budgetary impasse that exists
between the Obama administration and Congress because it provides lawmakers a
clear plan of direction.
While cutting spending in some areas, the plan
includes boosting expenditures in things like attack submarines and cyber
security - both key components of the administration’s plan to rebalance its
focus to the Asia-Pacific region.
Some analysts warn the continuing news about money
problems at the Pentagon are eroding American credibility overseas.
Travis Sharp is a defense analyst with the Center for
a New American Security, a Washington research organization with ties to the
Obama administration.
“I think the reductions in defense spending are going
to make some of our allies and potential adversaries question whether or not we
can actually do what we say we’re going to do," he said.
The budget announcement came as tensions continue to
rise on the Korean peninsula, where the U.S. and its allies are watching for an
expected missile launch by the North Koreans.
In his remarks Wednesday, Secretary Hagel said North
Korea is “skating very close to a dangerous line” by continuing its threats.
He said Pyongyang should ratchet down its rhetoric, but added that if it
does not, the U.S. is fully prepared to deal with “any contingency.”
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