Defense Secretary Leon Panetta talked about the future of the U.S. military. In his remarks he said that Afghan forces were on schedule to take the lead for securing their country in 2013. He said that the U.S. military force would be “smaller and leaner.” In addition, he discussed the state of the Defense Department if sequestration takes effect, the situation in the Middle East, and America’s role in the Pacific region.
“Sequestration,” a legal procedure in which automatic budget cuts are triggered, was agreed to in the Budget Control Act of 2011 and were to take effect in January 2013 if Congress failed to reach a new budget agreement.