About $500 billion in automatic sequestration defense spending cuts over ten years were scheduled to take effect this month. They’ve been delayed until March as part of the recent “fiscal cliff” compromise. On Monday, the Brookings Institution hosted a discussion looking at the potential effects of defense cuts on national security, including the possibility of lost jobs and decreased military readiness, and how the national debt has also impacted the nation’s security.
Among the panelists are Defense Comptroller and Chief Financial Officer Robert Hale and former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. Brookings Senior Fellow Peter Singer moderates the discussion.