There is a certain irony, as well as much truth, in Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s drumbeat of warnings about the consequences of further cuts to U.S. military budgets of the sort threatened under the current deficit reduction law.

In an appearance yesterday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at National Defense University, Panetta rightly observed that the “kind of massive cut across the board — which would literally double the number of cuts that we’re confronting — that would have devastating effects on our national defense.” Panetta has vowed to fight against the $500 to $600 billion in further cuts that would come either from the automatic sequestration mechanism in the law or the negotiations of the so-called supercommittee of 12 members of Congress to reach the mandated deficit reduction targets.