Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, said Pentagon officials are preparing their Fiscal 2013 budget proposal that will go to Congress in February with the expectation that the Defense Department will have to make $450 billion in cuts over the next 10 years. However, that strategy does not yet account for the significantly larger cuts that will kick in if the 2011 Budget Control Act’s sequestration clause goes into effect in January 2013, he said. “It shouldn’t be lost on anybody that we were handed this bill—this reduction—about two months ago,” said Dempsey on Nov. 30. “What we’ve been doing is revising our strategy because you can’t just take cuts and do the same things we’ve been doing.” He said Pentagon budget experts are analyzing the impact of the cuts and consulting with each of the services, combatant commanders, the Defense Secretary, and the White House’s budget office. “Concurrently, we are doing the mind-numbing work of weighing program cuts and putting a budget together,” said Dempsey. (AFPS report by Jim Garamone)
Top Lawmakers Want 15 Percent Pay Raise for Enlisted Troops
April 19, 2024
A new law introduced by Congress would raise the pay rate 15 percent for junior enlisted troops and seek improvements on a range of quality of life issues, such as pay and compensation, child care, housing, health care access, and military spouse employment.