Military chiefs warn budget cuts could raise casualties

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/11/military-chiefs-warn-budget-cuts-could-raise-casualties



Still whining about a five percent budget cut.

Military chiefs warn budget cuts could raise casualties
By Bill Bartel
The Virginian-Pilot
© November 8, 2013

Top U.S. military officers warned a Senate panel Thursday that automatic budget cuts, known as sequestration, will imperil national security and hurt the economies of military-dependent regions such as Hampton Roads.

The admonitions mirrored statements that Pentagon leaders have made for more than a year as they push for relief from unpopular reductions.

But not everyone on the Senate Armed Services Committee was entirely sympathetic, including defense hawks who oppose sequestration but questioned whether military leaders have done enough to stop weapon-system cost overruns or the growth of their own staffs.

Near the beginning of a 2½-hour hearing on Capitol Hill, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, outlined – as he has done several times in recent months – a list of cuts in training, ship and aircraft maintenance, and ship construction that will be necessary beginning in January if sequestration isn’t stopped or altered.