The specifics of the Obama administration's so-called meaner, leaner military were announced today. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta briefed reporters about his priorities for the fiscal 2013 Pentagon budget, and what kind of cuts are needed to fulfill the president's future defense strategy he announced earlier this month.
That strategy, says Panetta, boils down to the following:
Under Panetta's proposed budget, the number of Marines would go from 202,000 down to 182,000 ' which is still higher than the number of Marines on 9/11, Panetta was quick to point out. There would be no cuts to the Marine Corps Reserve.
In addition, as Home Post reported yesterday, the Army would cut 80,000 combat troops as part of the new defense budget, going from a force of562,000 down to 490,000.
Then there's the matter of pay increases, according to the Marine Corps Times:
But Panetta warned that in years 2015 and later pay increases would be more "limited."
You can look at the Budget Decision Documents released by the Defense Department by clicking here.
