U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday the United States was going “to reassess all weapon program” as the Obama administration signaled its hopes of making budget savings. Gates said the Defense Department was undertaking a detailed review of the proposed defense budget for fiscal-year 2010 that would include scrutiny of weapons projects plagued by delays and cost overruns. “This process includes efforts to realize cost efficiencies, reassess all weapons programs—especially those with serious execution issues—and rebalance investments between current and future capabilities,” Gates told reporters at the Pentagon. Gates spoke after the Obama administration unveiled a $533.7 billion defense budget, up a modest 4 percent from a year ago. The budget request included a forecast that spending on conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan would decline sharply in the coming years.
