1、F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2 P o l i c Y B R i E FDown PaymentDefense Guidance,2013 Defense Budget and the Risks of SequestrationBy Travis SharpThe Pentagons new strategic guidance and fiscal year(FY)2013 budget request signal the end of the post-9/11 era for the U.S.military.The guidance endeavors,in it
2、s own words,to transition the“defense enterprise from an emphasis on todays wars to preparing for future challenges.”1 Together,the guidance and budget aim to shift the U.S.militarys focus from a decade spent fighting two ground wars to a new era in which the United States hopes to spend more time p
3、reventing and deterring conflicts than fighting them.The guidance and budget reflect$487 billion in cuts over 10 years imposed by the Budget Control Act approved in August 2011 by Congress and President Barack Obama.Instead of taking the easy way out and eliminating expensive military force structur
4、e to produce the required cuts,the Department of Defense(DOD)combed through its programs to find other ways to achieve savings,such as adopting better business practices,making small-but-significant reforms to military compensation and benefits,and changing weapons programs to make their development