Defense News offers a special report and Defense budget preview: “Chuck Hagel, with his first budget plan as US defense secretary, has managed to do the unthinkable: He has united Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill.”  

“In short, they hate it.”  

“Limited by spending caps erected by Congress, Hagel’s budget proposes large cuts to America’s ground combat forces, a number of controversial troop-benefits changes, retiring aircraft fleets and a round of politically white-hot base closures.”  

“Republican hawks bristled at the 2015 Pentagon spending request Hagel described last week, saying it would instantly make America less safe and the military less ready to respond to a list of possible threats. Fiscal hawks began preparing for a fight over a coming $58 billion request from the White House, including $26 billion for defense, for things not included in the federal spending plan.”  

“Democrats largely gave the plan political cover by holding fire, but few embraced its proposed cuts as strategically wise. For the most part, President Barack Obama’s fellow Democrats renewed their push to roll back the remaining eight years of sequestration cuts, saying Hagel’s plan shows more cuts would undercut military lethality and readiness.”