The failure of Congress and the White House to agree on budget reductions will require the Army and Marine Corps to reduce time spent on training, curtail Air Force flying hours, and reduce the number of steaming days for Navy vessels, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said March 1. The so-called $47billion in sequestration cuts could place force readiness at serious risk, Hagel said. The Air Force immediately began cutting flying hours. The Navy opted to leave the carrier Harry S. Truman battle group at the pier rather than deploy to the Persian Gulf. For the Army, only units headed for deployment to Afghanistan will be able to conduct regular training. The budget cuts are being imposed on top of the $487 billion the Defense Department already trimmed under the Budget Control Act.
