Defense News

“Lawmakers from both parties last week beamed when asked about Hagel’s announcement that he will reduce the workforces of his office, the Joint Staff and each combatant command by 20 percent before this decade ends.”

However, the Defense News piece suggests that “while lawmakers applauded Hagel’s intentions, defense analysts and former officials of all stripes said there are ample reasons to believe the Pentagon can’t actually implement the plan in a way that generates any real savings.A series of interviews with Democratic and Republican lawmakers suggests Hagel will receive little political pushback, an ironic twist for a secretary whose nomination — longtime Washington insiders said — was unprecedentedly partisan.”