Further cuts to the defense budget could lead the U.S. to shift from an all-volunteer force and reinstate the draft, a key House lawmaker said Monday.
In an interview with Fox News, House Armed Services Committee Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) said cuts beyond the the $350 billion already agreed to in the debt ceiling agreement could force the Pentagon to reduce troop numbers.
“We also need to understand what it’s going to mean to keep an all-volunteer force,†McKeon said. “Do we want to reinstitute the draft? Some of the cuts we’re talking about would take over 200,000 out of end strength from our military.â€
A bipartisan super-committee must find $1.5 trillion in savings over the next 10 years, or automatic cuts across the board will be split 50-50 between defense and non-defense spending.
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