Sequestration could mean another 100K-troop cut

Sequestration could mean another 100K-troop cut
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jul 26, 2012

The possibility that sequestration could lead to an additional reduction of 100,000 active-duty troops has been seized upon by a key House Republican as the newest reason why the Defense Department needs special protection from across-the-board cuts.

The estimate of personnel cuts came from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday during a hearing about military transition programs, in response to a question from Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., about the impact of sequestration on the unemployment rate for veterans.

McKeon’s office is widely circulating the statement as a sign of the potential damage posed by the automatic, across-the-board federal spending cuts known as sequestration that could happen in January.

“It would obviously add another 100,000 that would have to be reduced, and the impact of that on top of the reductions that are currently going to take place would place a huge burden on the systems to be able to respond to that,” Panetta said. “I think it would be near-impossible to try to do the kind of work that we are trying to do and make it work effectively.”

It was McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who first suggested the possibility of the 100,000-troop cut. “We know that there’s high unemployment among our veterans, our young veterans, and we know that, with the $487 billion cut in defense, we will have 100,000 leaving the military. We will have another 100,000 if the sequestration takes effect,” he said.
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