WASHINGTON (AP) — From the helicopters they fly to the base housing where their children sleep at night, U.S troops and their families are directly affected by the prospect of deep cuts in the Pentagon's budget, which surely will shrink over the coming decade as the military closes out two wars, trims its ranks and possibly chops some budget-busting weapons systems.
And the troops' concerns don't end when they take off the uniform: Many retirees are dependent on the military's health insurance. With Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's blunt acknowledgment this week that the Pentagon "has to do its part" to meet the public clamor for deficit reduction, there's much angst among the uniformed services.
Reflecting the widespread demand for more fiscal responsibility in Washington, the compromise debt deal that President Barack Obama reached with Congress and signed Tuesday will slice $350 billion from projected military spending over the next 10 years. And it leaves open the possibility of up to $500 billion in additional reductions.
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