Al Khaleej stuns Al Hilal with 3-2 victory, ending 57-match unbeaten run    Turki Al-Sheikh crowned "Most Influential Personality in the Last Decade" at MENA Effie Awards 2024    Saudi Arabia arrests 19,696 illegals in a week    SFDA move to impose travel ban on workers of food outlets in the event of food poisoning    GACA: 1029 complaints recorded against airlines, with least complaints in Riyadh and Buraidah airports during October    CMA plans to allow former expatriates in Saudi and other Gulf states to invest in TASI    11 killed, 23 injured in Israeli airstrike on Beirut    Trump picks billionaire Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary    WHO: Mpox remains an international public health emergency    2 Pakistanis arrested for promoting methamphetamine    Move to ban on establishing zoos in residential neighborhoods    Moody's upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating to Aa3 with stable outlook    Al Okhdood halts Al Shabab's winning streak with a 1-1 draw in Saudi Pro League    Mahrez leads Al Ahli to victory over Al Fayha in Saudi Pro League    Saudi musical marvels takes center stage in Tokyo's iconic opera hall    Saudi Arabia and Japan to collaborate on training Saudi students in Manga comics Saudi Minister of Culture discusses cultural collaboration during Tokyo visit    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



US defense leaders warn of impact of budget cuts
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 10 - 02 - 2011

Awwal 07, 1432, Feb 10, 2011, SPA -- U.S. Congress' failure to pass a 2011 defense budget bill is jeopardizing the military's effort to send more surveillance and attack drones into Afghanistan, as well as stymieing plans to buy a new Navy submarine, Army combat helicopters and other major weapons systems, defense leaders say, according to AP.
As Pentagon officials fan out across Capitol Hill, pleading for lawmakers to approve the 2011 spending levels proposed by the Obama administration, they also are hitting lawmakers where it hurts _ in their congressional districts and states. Less money in the budget, the officials said, will put at risk thousands of jobs and construction projects nationwide.
Right now the U.S. is operating under a stopgap budget extension that funds the federal government at the 2010 level. And Republicans, who control the House and gained ground in the Senate in the 2010 elections, have said they intend to use this opportunity to end dozens of programs and slash spending on many more.
Overall, the Army, Navy and Air Force say they would lose at least $26 billion if the spending level stays largely the same as 2010, compared with the larger 2011 budget request made by the administration.
«This is going to have a really significant impact on us in four main areas,» Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said. «And time is not on our side. By March we'll be almost halfway through the fiscal year. Even if you get (the budget) done in March, it still is going to be hard to do some of these things.»
Laying out a plan for $35 billion in program cuts and terminations Wednesday, Republicans said they were determined to keep their pledge to the American people to rein in federal spending. Some, including congressman Jeff Flake of Arizona, said he'd prefer to see even more savings.
But other lawmakers have spoken out against cutbacks in defense spending.
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that is unacceptable that the military, in its 10th year of war, be expected to absorb such budget reductions.
Military officials were quick to say they will make sure that forces in Iraq and Afghanistan get what they need. But the cuts will affect training and equipment for troops at home _ and many of those are slated for future deployments to the war zone.
On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers rolled out a plan to give the Pentagon about $518 billion, which is about $1 billion more than the 2010 level, but still well short of the $531 billion recommended in Obama's 2011 request. There were no details on how much each military service would get.
If the totals in the stopgap spending bill stick, the Army would lose as much as $13 billion, the Air Force about $7 billion and the Navy nearly $6 billion.
Living with those cuts, military leaders said, would force costly delays in major programs, such as the purchase of 24 hunter-killer Reaper drones used heavily in Afghanistan, the construction of a new Virginia-class submarine, a naval destroyer and an E-2D Hawkeye airborne command and control aircraft.
As an example, the decreased funding would give the Air Force $1.2 billion less for salaries and personnel costs than the 2011 funding bill, and would require shifting money around later this summer in order to meet the payroll in the final quarter of the fiscal year.
«The trade-offs are real,» said Jamie Morin, assistant Air Force secretary for financial management. «We would have to pull that money from other major programs.»
Air Force Maj. Gen Alfred Flowers, the deputy assistant secretary for the budget, said 36 construction projects already have been deferred, and that number could go as high as 129, for a total of $1.1 billion, if the money is not restored.
The Navy said the cuts have delayed and could jeopardize nearly 90 construction projects in 13 states, threatening up to 7,300 jobs. And it could force cancellation of major maintenance on ships, aircraft and engines that would affect another 1,300 private sector jobs.
At the same time, program delays could trigger price increases down the road. Canceling the order for a submarine this year would increase the cost of one that is already being built, Mabus said. He added that the cuts would cost the Marine Corps about a third of its procurement budget for equipment.
Army officials said the cuts could delay the awarding of contracts for a new ground combat vehicle, putting delivery of the first vehicle behind schedule. And there would be no money to buy four new Chinook transport helicopters that are used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Clic here to read the story from its source.