The proposed cuts to procurement might be the hardest for the U.S. military, said Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. While procurement spending has increased dramatically over the past decade, the extra money has not resulted in dramatic increases in military hardware. Instead, prices have increased substantially, Harrison said. A 15 percent cut in procurement would make it very difficult for the Navy to build the 313-ship fleet it wants and for the Air Force to reduce the average age of its aircraft, he said.
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