Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is meeting top U.S. defense
industry leaders on Tuesday, concerned that deep budget cuts will not only
harm their industries but the national security of the country.
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters that the
Panetta “is looking forward to hearing the views of industry leaders.”
“He believes that a strong and healthy defense industrial base is vital to
our national security, and that preserving the Department’s partnership with
industry is a top priority,” Little said. “The Secretary will emphasize the
need for industry to work with the Department to promote the twin
imperatives of strong national defense and fiscal discipline. He believes
that we can work together effectively to achieve that important outcome.”
Military analysts, industry leaders and officials have voiced their
concerns that the defense department will be weakened by plans to trim
roughly $350 billion from previously projected spending in the next ten
years under the debt-ceiling plan which passed August, 2.
And that’s just the beginning of possible cuts.
An additional $600 billion in cuts may come into play if Congress is
unable to trim the deficit by $1.2 trillion during the same time over the
next decade.
