The Pentagon Is Getting Ready For More Budget Cuts

Many Defense Department employees would face furloughs if the government shuts down Sept. 30, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a memo. (Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway / Air Force)

Pentagon Warns Against Government Shutdown, But Study Says It Can Live On Less -- Anna Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor

Even as Pentagon officials warn lawmakers of the dire effects of a government shutdown, a panel that includes former members of the Joint Chiefs says staffing cuts can safely be made.

The Pentagon has begun preparing for a potential government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

But even as it warns of the dire consequences of a lapse in full funding for the US military, a new study by a panel that includes four former flag officers on the Joint Chiefs of Staff concludes that that the Pentagon could cut 50,000 civilian employees – as well as 60,000 US troops – without damaging US national security.

“The Defense Department is not a jobs program,” Barry Blechman, an author of the report by the Stimson Center, a nonpartisan global security think tank, said at a press conference Tuesday releasing the report.

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More News On The U.S. Defense Budget

Think-tank report targets benefits, force structure to hold down spending -- Military Times
Study: Pentagon Could Cut 100,000-Plus Troops, Maintain Fighting Power -- Slate
Study: Pentagon Could Cuts Thousands of Employees -- ABC News/AP
Defense Panel Recommends BRAC, Benefit Changes -- Military.com
Stimson Panel Proposes $50B in Pentagon Cuts As Sequestration Alternative -- Executive Gov
Defense Advisers: Overhead Costs Sinking the Military -- National Defense
Pentagon Bracing for US Government Shutdown -- Defense News
Pentagon Prepares for Government Shutdown -- Defense One
Service Chiefs Warn of Sequester's 'Insidious' Effects -- Defense News
Budget uncertainty crippling military, Pentagon officials say -- Reuters
Military chiefs warn forced budget cuts undermine security -- CNN
Army speeds up plans for reducing size of active force; aviation programs hit in 2014 -- al.com
Rich Military, Poor Results: Joint Chiefs say budget crunch could thwart victory -- Mark Thompson, Time