CSBA in the News

Even if the U.S. Congress is able to hammer out a debt deal that avoids sequestration in January, the resulting agreement will likely result in billions of dollars in additional cuts to the Defense Department — perhaps as much as $25 billion — likely forcing the military to alter its roles and missions.

Even if the “do nothing Congress” lives up to its reputation and doesn’t come up with a deal, President Obama could still soften the economic blow of the fiscal cliff.

If Washington’s defense community has achieved one thing over the past year, it’s spreading the message of how the fiscal cliff could desecrate the military. Sequestration cuts of $55 billion would jeopardize weapons contracts, furlough civilian staff, and imperil national security, defense hawks say/…/

U.S. military spending peaked in 2010 at $668 billion. It has dropped slightly since then, as the military started withdrawing troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The battle over the Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle isn’t only about one war machine and what it may weigh (80-plus tons) or cost ($13 some million). It’s just one front in a larger war over the Army’s armored heart and its role in the nation’s strategy.

In some ways, a second Obama term is likely to mean some degree of continuity in the Defense Department. But the shape and size of the government’s largest and most complex department over the next few years will depend to a large degree on what happens over the next few weeks/…/