Defense Communities 360 Headlines

Senate Republicans are considering a handful of alternatives to nullify $85 billion in government-wide spending reductions scheduled to go into effect March 1, with the possibility of offering federal agencies greater flexibility in carrying out the cuts a much-discussed option. Other approaches include replacing the cuts with alternative ones in discretionary and mandatory spending, or by trimming the federal workforce …

With the March 1 deadline triggering sequestration less than two weeks away — and falling only four days after lawmakers return to Capitol Hill from this week’s recess — it’s almost inevitable that the Pentagon will need to start implementing its share of the mechanism’s $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts. And while many lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have tried to raise the alarm over the devastating effects they will have on the nation’s military readiness, the deep chasm between the two parties over how to replace the cuts makes a deal an iffy proposition. More likely, perhaps, would be a measure that would adjust the arbitrary nature of the spending reductions required under sequestration and offer DOD flexibility in applying them …

The deputy commander for Camp Lejeune assured local officials attending a community breakfast Tuesday that the base on the coast of North Carolina is too vital to the Marine Corps’ mission to be closed in a future BRAC round. “Camp Lejeune is [staying],” said Col. Darrell Thacker, deputy commander for Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. “But as we transition from 202,000 Marines down to 182,000 Marines, there will be impacts on the base …

Veterans in Utah soon may find it a lot less confusing to take advantage of the multitude of state programs designed for them. A measure expected to be approved this session by the Utah legislature would establish a veterans services coordinator position in the state Department of Veterans Affairs that would be responsible for coordinating veterans services offered by all state agencies, reported the Salt Lake Tribune. The bill also would require the state departments of Health and Human Services, Public Safety, Workforce Services, Health, the Division of Professional and Occupational Licensing, and all state institutions of higher education to appoint veterans specialists. The legislation stops short, however, of consolidating all veterans services under the veterans affairs department.

The deep budget cuts imposed under sequestration would severely undermine the readiness of the Air Force, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told lawmakers this week. “Roughly two-thirds of our active-duty combat Air Force units will curtail home station training, beginning in March, and will drop below acceptable readiness levels by mid-May,” Welsh told the Senate Armed Services Committee …

Senate Republicans succeeded in postponing a final up-or-down vote on former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) to become the next defense secretary when they defeated Democrats’ effort Thursday to end debate on his nomination. Four Republicans joined the Democrats to support Hagel’s nomination, but the majority party still was unable to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to approve cloture and end the apparent filibuster …

Defense spending would be reduced by $27.5 billion over a seven-year period, rather than $40-plus billion all in fiscal 2013, under the plan Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) outlined Thursday to replace the $85 billion in government-wide spending cuts slated to go into effect March 1. Half of the $110 billion plan would be made up of spending reductions, with the other $27.5 billion in cuts coming from the elimination of direct subsidy payments to farmers …

A local school board is considering establishing a K-8 charter school for the children of military personnel and civilian workers at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany to better improve local support for the installation in southwestern Georgia. “School systems are very important to military families, and I think a charter school with the Marine Base would be of benefit to the community, especially during the next round of BRAC hearings,” a member of the Dougherty County School Board said Monday. The school would be intended to stem the loss of children from the base to the school systems of surrounding counties, reported the Albany Herald. The school board endorsed the proposal to form an ad hoc committee to begin exploratory discussions with the base.

The threat of a filibuster over the vote to confirm former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) as the next defense secretary forced Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to schedule a cloture vote to end debate on Friday. Hagel will need the votes of the 55 senators caucusing with the Democrats and five Republicans to overcome the threatened filibuster. If 60 senators vote to end debate, a final vote on the candidate likely would wait until the Senate returns from the Presidents Day recess …

Despite attempting to address spending cuts that will have “an irreversible and debilitating impact on the Navy’s readiness through at least 2014,” the chief of naval operations said Wednesday he would fight to preserve funding for family readiness and wellness programs. “Family programs are important,” said Adm. Jonathan Greenert, reported Navy public affairs. “I do not want those constrained.”