Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has given a stern warning to lawmakers that if something is not done to resolve sequestration that deep cuts will have to be made within the armed forces including to both the number of active-duty troops and the amount of armaments made by the defense industry, according to Politico.
Hagel laid out two options considering the budget that he has; the U.S. could have a small yet very high-tech military that would potentially be too small should a major war break out or a larger military that is not nearly as well equipped that would put soldiers' lives at risk, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"These two approaches illustrate the difficult trade-offs and strategic choices that would face the department in a scenario where sequester-level cuts continue," Hagel said. "Going forward, in the months ahead, DOD (Department of Defense) - and ultimately the president - will decide on a strategic course that best preserves our ability to defend our national security interests under this very daunting budget scenario."
One option would call for the army to decrease in size from 490,000 troops to 380,000, easily the smallest the force has been in decades. Hagel also said that the Navy may lose two aircraft carrier groups and the Marine Corps could cut up to 33,000 soldiers, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"We are not talking about marginal changes; we are talking about fundamental changes in our defense posture," Andrew Drepinevich, president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said.
Hagel did offer an alternative to cutting the size of the military albeit not a very enticing one; by eliminating programs designed to modernize the military troop reductions could be avoided. Programs designed to build new armaments, such as the Joint Strike Fighter and new Navy ships, would have to be abandoned, according to the Wall Street Journal.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., said the potential cuts are another sign of how the Obama administration refuses to deal with sequestration.
"What it does make clear is what I've been cautioning all along: Further cuts will cause catastrophic readiness shortfalls; we will lose our workforce and ability to recruit and retain the all-volunteer force; and our influence around the world will continue to diminish," McKeon told Politico. "Our enemies will feel emboldened."
