Special Report: Sequestration

Sequestration - Across-the-board budget cuts could threaten national security

News Stories

Sequestration Poses Biggest Threat to Readiness, Service Leaders Say

Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps leaders detailed challenges posed by sequestration in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Story

Carter: Unstable Budget Harms Defense Capabilities, Innovation

For the seventh year in a row Congress has failed to pass a defense appropriations bill in time for the fiscal year, and for four years the Defense Department and other agencies have struggled against sequestration impacts, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said. Story

Avoiding Shutdown Not Enough for Troops, National Defense, Carter Says

Avoiding a government shutdown tomorrow is not enough for service members and the national defense, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said at a Pentagon news conference. Story

Strategy, Threats, Resources Must Balance, Winnefeld Says

The tough fiscal environment means the Air Force must make investment choices that protect America and its interests today, but also in the future, Navy Adm. James A. "Sandy" Winnefeld Jr., the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the Air Force Association's annual Air and Space Conference. Story

Acquisition Chief Discusses 'Better Buying Power 2.0'

The Pentagon's chief of acquisition, technology and logistics said he expects sequestration to continue into the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, but added that the acquisition workforce's mission remains to "get as much as we can for the resources we're given." Story

Official Warns of Continued Spending Cuts in Next Fiscal Year

With the new fiscal year less than a month away, a senior Defense Department official warned during a defense cooperation conference that spending cuts triggered by sequestration are likely to be part of the budget landscape for the foreseeable future. Story

Budget Cuts Hurt DOD Model Program for Hiring Disabled

A model program to recruit disabled college students and recent graduates into the workforce is one victim of defense budget cuts this fiscal year and into uncertain times ahead in 2014 , a DOD official said. Story

Savings, Reprogramming Enable Furlough Reduction

Savings and the ability to reprogram funds made possible the announcement by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that unpaid furlough days for about 650,000 civilian employees are being reduced from 11 to six. Story

Hagel Announces Reduction in Civilian Furlough Days

Hundreds of thousands of Defense Department civilian employees who have had to take a weekly unpaid day off from work since July 8 are getting some relief, as the total number of furlough days has been reduced from 11 to six, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced today. Story

'Painful' Review Looked at Every Corner of DOD, Winnefeld Says

A management review ordered by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in light of sequestration was a collaborative process that involved not just the office of the secretary of defense, but also took in the opinions of combatant commanders, the services and the Joint Staff, Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. Story

DOD Girds for More Budget Reductions, Carter Says

Ten days after unpaid furloughs began nationwide for many DOD civilian employees as a measure to meet sequester cuts, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the department is planning for similar budget cuts that may continue into fiscal year 2014 and perhaps beyond. Story