United States Department of Defense

Sequestration: Across-The-Board Budget Cuts Could Threaten National Security

News Stories

Sequestration Would Harm Asia-Pacific Progress, Commanders Say

Senior military commanders from the Asia-Pacific region cautioned of the security consequences the return of sequestration would have on the strategy to rebalance military forces.

Army Leaders Urge Congressional Relief From Sequester

The Army's senior leaders urged Congress to support President Barack Obama's $126.5 billion budget request to preserve modest gains from the past year. Story

Officials: Space no Longer a Sanctuary; Sequester a Threat

The space domain is no longer the relative sanctuary it once was, and growing adversarial threats intend to deny the U.S. national security and economic benefits derived from space access, Defense Department officials told Congress. Story

Military Leaders Report Concerns on Long-term Readiness

The U.S. military is consuming readiness as fast as it can generate it, and this leaves America vulnerable, uniformed leaders told the House Armed Services Readiness subcommittee. Story

Army Reserve, Guard Leaders Caution Against Sequestration

Funding allocations below President Barack Obama’s budget proposal levels will risk the Reserve components’ ability to fulfill the nation’s global security requirements and worsen readiness challenges, senior leaders from the Army Reserve and National Guard said. Story

Commanders Describe Budgetary Needs to Senate Panel

In a dynamic and uncertain security environment, sequestration and its associated budget inflexibility are grave threats to national security, three top military commanders told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Story

Missile Budget Cuts Threaten Defense Posture, Officials Say

The Oct. 1 return to sequestration-level funding now required by budget law would significantly lower an already austere budget for missile defense, making the nation less secure, the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy told Congress. Story

Infrastructure Funding Level Poses Risk, Officials Say

Service officials responsible for infrastructure described for Congress a need throughout the Defense Department for infrastructure reduction and improved funding for military construction. Story

Service Leaders Catalog Sequestration Impacts for Congress

The service secretaries and chiefs warned Congress of the dire effects a return to sequestration would have on security at home and around the world. Story

Winnefeld Gives Blunt Assessment of Budget Options

The U.S. defense budget is strategy driven and the nation will be at greater risk if the budget is cut or if sequestration is triggered this year, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Story

Army Chief: Readiness Degraded to Historically Low Levels

Unrelenting budget constraints have degraded Army readiness and modernization to historically low levels, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told a Senate panel. Story

McHugh: America's Army Facing Sequestration 'Enemy' at Home

Not only does the U.S. Army face rapid, unpredictable changes in the geopolitical landscape, but also the uncertainty of an adversary -- sequestration -- here at home, Army Secretary John M. McHugh said before a Senate subcommittee. Story

Navy, Marine Corps Officials Warn of Sequestration's Impact

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2015 – The Navy and Marine Corps will be challenged to carry out their parts of the national defense strategy if billions of dollars in sequester-related budget cuts take effect Oct. 1, senior service officials told legislators on Capitol Hill today. Story

Greenert: Sequestration Threatens Readiness, Modernization

WASHINGTON - As the Navy faces a projected shortfall of about $25 billion below the president's fiscal year 2016 budget request, sequestration and the continuing funding resolution have degraded the service's readiness and capabilities, the chief of naval operations told Congress. Story

Senior DoD Official Testifies on Budget, BRAC

Forcing the Defense Department to adhere to caps from the 2011 Budget Control Act would resonate across the entire defense budget, a senior DoD official testified before the House. Story

Carter: 'Sad Math' of Sequestration Won't Resolve Fiscal Issues

Sequestration isn't the law of the land because it makes sense, it's the law because of political gridlock, Defense Secretary Ash Carter testified. Story

James: In-Demand Air Force Experiences Strain

The Air Force is requesting $10 billion above what sequestration-level funding provides in order to support its global responsibilities, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James told members of the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee. Story

Welsh: Sequestration Harms Aging, Shrinking Air Force

The capability gap separating the U.S. Air Force from others is narrowing and requires modernization to help the service maintain its asymmetric advantage, the service's chief of staff testified before the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee. Story

Uncertainty Affects Quality of Life, Senior Enlisted Advisors Say

Service members and their families are concerned about potential sequester-caused cuts to the military's budget and possible changes to quality of life, pay and compensation programs, the services' senior enlisted advisors told a House panel. Story

Air Force Seeks $10 Billion Over Sequestration Funding

The demand for Air Force capabilities is increasing, therefore the service is requesting $10 billion more than sequestration-level funding provides, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said. Story

Video

Dempsey on sequestration during first week of civilian furloughs

Guard, Reserve Leaders Testify on Sequestration Effects

Defense Leaders Brief Press on Civilian Furloughs

Video: Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, held an all-hands call at Fleet Activities Yokosuka to discuss the current fiscal challenges facing the DoD, including the threat of sequestration.

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