Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work has called for an end to what he says is budget uncertainty across defense programs as the U.S. faces global combat and technological challenges, Reuters reported Wednesday.
David Alexander writes that Work told his audience at a Center for Strategic and International Studies conference that the Defense Department needs budget stability to maintain its military readiness and technological advantage.
The report said Congress will soon decide whether to approve the proposed fiscal year 2015 DoD budget of approximately $560 billion, including overseas contingency funds, while fiscal 2016 could mean the return of sequestration.
Work also highlighted the potential impact on U.S. technological dominance if sequestration brings $23 billion in spending cuts for research and development, Paul McLeary of Defense News reports.
“When we cut the R&D funding it doesn’t mean that we will have less of something, it means we won’t have those things at all,” Work said during the conference.
He noted that U.S. advantage in defense technologies “is no longer assured” as China, Russia and other potential challengers are heavily investing in weapons and capabilities such as electronic warfare.
Work said DoD plans to launch an initiative to help bolster U.S. efforts in defense innovation.
