Cartwright Sees ‘50-50’ Chance to Avoid Defense Cuts
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The U.S. defense budget has at least even odds of meeting Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s goal of 1 percent spending growth after inflation, the Pentagon’s No. 2 uniformed officer said.
“We’ve got better than a 50-50” chance of avoiding deeper cuts as Congress searches for ways to reduce the deficit, said General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “But there are realities we will have to work our way through with the Office of Management and Budget and the Congress.”