The defense budget implosion (VI): An exchange between McCain and the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs
For your defense budget files, from yesterday’s Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Gen. Dempsey: SEN. MCCAIN: Which brings me again full circle. We have announced cuts without a commensurate assessment of the impact of those cuts. And in your view, a — what would an 800- (billion dollar) to trillion-dollar cut in defense spending over the ...
For your defense budget files, from yesterday's Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Gen. Dempsey:
For your defense budget files, from yesterday’s Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Gen. Dempsey:
SEN. MCCAIN: Which brings me again full circle. We have announced cuts without a commensurate assessment of the impact of those cuts. And in your view, a — what would an 800- (billion dollar) to trillion-dollar cut in defense spending over the next 10 years do to our readiness, General?
GEN. DEMPSEY: Senator, I haven’t been asked to look at that number, but I have looked — and we are looking at 400 (billion dollars) — and I would react in this way. Based on the difficulty of achieving the $400 billion cut, I believe 800 (billion dollars) would be extraordinarily difficult and very high-risk.
More from Foreign Policy


At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment
Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.


How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China
As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.


What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal
Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.


Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust
Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.