Top Pentagon official: Military Won't Be Able To Sail Ships, Fly Planes, Fight Wars

Pentagon No. 2 Hints U.S. Won't Be Able to Fight Wars if Cuts Hit -- USA Today

With 10 percent budget cut, defense officials say military won't be able to sail ships, fly planes

The military will not be able to fight outside of Afghanistan and expenses will actually increase if sequestration takes place, the Pentagon's No. 2 said Wednesday night, adding to the chorus of ominous forecasting coming out of the Defense Department that would include massive civilian furloughs.

The across-the-board mandatory cuts known as sequestration would force the military to find $46 billion in savings by the end of the year. This further complicates the Pentagon's financial woes as it still waits for Congress to pass a budget for this fiscal year.

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More News On U.S. Defense Budget Concerns

Pentagon notifies Congress of likely civilian furloughs over budget cuts -- FOX News/AP
Pentagon warns workers may need to take unpaid leave if sequester kicks in -- Washington Post
Panetta notifies Congress of Pentagon plan to furlough civilians -- Reuters
Without a budget accord, Pentagon prepares for furloughs -- McClatchy News
Pink slips being printed as Congress vacations, defense industry likely to cut thousands of jobs -- Washington Times
Panetta: Defense furloughs would be 'disruptive and damaging' -- Christian Science Monitor/Reuters
Pentagon Warns of Widespread Civilian Furloughs -- New York Times
Pentagon Braces for Automatic Cuts -- Voice of America
As sequestration nears, Panetta gets real, announces furloughs -- The E-Ring
Army lays out state-by-state cuts in report -- Military Times
Services cite sweeping state-by-state spending cuts -- Stars and Stripes/USA Today
Pentagon fears drastic cuts with lack of spending bill -- USA Today
US defense budget cuts could 'hollow' military: Pentagon -- New York Daily News
Spending Cuts Would Cause Chaos, Carter Says -- US Department of Defense
As sequester nears, Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale at center of storm -- Washington Post
Gauging the sequester’s impact -- Jamie Dupree, AJC
Defense Cuts May No Longer Be Political Sacred Cow -- Scott Horsley, NPR
America's military can handle anything ... except a budget cut -- Michael Cohen, The Guardian
Q&A: What sequestration means for Defense Department civilian employees -- Stars and Stripes