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WASHINGTON (AP) — Bigger defense cuts triggered by failed deficit
reduction negotiations would have “devastating” effects on the
nation’s security, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said
Tuesday.
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In a rare joint appearance at the National Defense University,
Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made their
case for limiting their budgets’ exposure to the political battles
in Congress over identifying additional ways of reduce future
government spending.
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Panetta said the Pentagon is prepared to make $350 billion in cuts
over the next 10 years, as agreed by Congress. But he warned of
dangers to the national defense if bigger reductions are
required.
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The deficit compromise reached between the White House and Congress
set up a special bipartisan committee to draft legislation to find
more government cuts. If the committee cannot agree on a
deficit-reduction plan by year’s end or if Congress rejects its
proposal, it would trigger some $500 billion in additional
reductions in projected national security spending.
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“This 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; it would have
devastating effects on certainly the State Department,” Panetta
said.
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Clinton said Americans should understand that in addition to
preserving the nation’s military strength, it is in the nation’s
security interests to maintain the State Department’s role in
diplomacy and development. She suggested that the political
stalemate over spending cuts has put that in jeopardy.
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“It does cast a pall over our ability to project the kind of
security interests that are in America’s interests,” she said.
“This is not about the Defense Department or the State Department
… This is about the United States of America. And we need to have
a responsible conversation about how we are going to prepare
ourselves for the future.”
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Panetta was asked about news reports that the Pentagon is
considering reducing military retirement benefits, which, along
with military health costs, have ballooned in recent
years.
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Though those payments have been considered sacrosanct – part of the
bargain the nation makes with those who protect it – the economic
and debt crises have put those issues squarely in the crosshairs. A
private sector advisory panel last month drafted a plan to
eliminate the current system under which those who retire with 20
years of service get immediate, lifetime payments of some 50
percent of their salaries and those with less than 20 years get
nothing.
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Though the report is not complete and it is non-binding at any
rate, the board recommends the system be scrapped and replaced with
a 401K-type defined contribution plan, grandfathering in the
disabled and retirees.
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“It’s the kind of thing you have to consider,” Panetta said. He
quickly added that it must have a grandfather clause so the
government does not “break faith” with the military
force.
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Clinton and Panetta were responding to questions posed by Frank
Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George
Washington University, and by members of the National Defense
University audience, which included members of the military and
civilian officials.
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Asked about the situation in Libya, Panetta said the anti-Gadhafi
forces are on the move toward Tripoli and “regime forces are
weakened.”
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—
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Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Pauline Jelinek
contributed to this report.
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