and outside Congress are nearly unanimous in their belief that Congress will not pass any such legislation before the November election, leaving very little room for error.
This series of events led to a FY13 DoD budget (http://comp-
troller.defense.gov/budget2013.html) that is approximately $46 billion less than the military planned in its FY12 budget submission. “We were handed a number for deficit reductions [by the BCA,]” Panetta said. “We stepped up to the plate.”
The week of the budget submission on Feb. 13 saw Panetta and GEN Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spend more than 10 hours testifying before congressional defense committees in a series of three hearings. “I’ve been in hearings for the last three days,” Panetta told a group of airmen at Barksdale Air Force Base, LA. “I think I should get some kind of award going through that crap … I need a new combat badge for going to Capitol Hill—with clusters.” Panetta and Dempsey testified twice more since then, appearing before the House and Senate Budget Committees at the end of February.
Panetta and Dempsey stepped into a figurative minefield as they addressed members’ concerns on the President’s FY13 budget request. Their first hearing, a session with the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) less than 24 hours after the request was submitted, lasted for nearly five hours. A significant portion of that session saw Panetta and Dempsey under criticism from committee members.
“We’
Were told that these proposed cuts are not budget driven but based on a thorough strategic review of ourdefense priorities,” said SASC Rankiing Member John McCain (R-AZ). “Respectfullly,ly,
told th th
bas d on a t orou SASC R
ng M mb cu ar not our defen e p et-
riven ties
cCain (R-AZ). “ es ct
Feb. 16, House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee
http://appropriations.house.gov/Calendar/EventSingle. aspx?EventID=278756
Feb. 28, Senate Budget Committee
http://budget.senate.gov/democratic/index.cfm/committee hearings?ContentRecord_id=8a6325ce-b3b6-493b-8a04- 37062ef2b0da&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a- 9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=d68d31c2-2e75-49fb- a03a-be915cb4550b
Feb. 29, House Budget Committee
http://budget.house.gov/HearingSchedule/hearing2292012.htm
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this doesn’t add up. Unfortunately, this defense budget continues the administration’s habit of putting short-term political consid- erations over our long-term national security interests.”
Panetta and Dempsey heard more of the same from Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee (HAC-D) in hearings later that week.
“Although the strategy is framed as making the military more nimble and flexible, it’s not clear how slashing the armed forces by over 100,000 during a time of war, shedding force structure and postponing the modernization makes that so,” said HASC Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA). “An honest and valid strategy for national defense can’t be founded on the premise that we must do more with less or even less, with less.”
“I’m concerned, as I look at this budget, that money is being taken away from national security and being placed on other priorities of this administration,” said HAC Chairman Emeri- tus Jerry Lewis (R-CA). “We must not go down this path.”
HEARING TESTIMONY Feb. 14, Senate Armed Services Committee ht tp : //armed-ser v ic e
s.senate.gov /e _wi tne s s l i st . cfm?id=5266
Feb. 15, House Armed Services Committee http: //
armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings- display?ContentRecord_id=c9cd49ce-b677-429c-9a9e -aaab326942a1
ASC.ARMY.MIL
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