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Speaking alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, the defense secretary laid out a series of reductions he said were necessary for maintaining military readiness and rebalancing the force structure to address future threats.

The Air Force’s A-10 close air support aircraft and the U-2 surveillance plane were notable casualties of the spending overhaul, though each of the planned weapons retirements could face pushback from Congress. The defense secretary also is looking to cut Army personnel numbers and cap a new class of Navy warships…….”The forces we prioritize can project power over great distances and carry out a variety of missions more relevant to the president’s defense strategy, such as homeland defense, strategic deterrence, building partnership capacity, and defeating asymmetric threats,” Hagel told reporters. “They’re also well suited to the strategy’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, to sustaining security commitments in the Middle East and in Europe, and our engagement in other regions.”…..

Whether Congress would accept the proposed spending changes was unclear, Hagel said, but he asserted that the Pentagon must put forth what it determines to be the budget priorities most appropriate for U.S. national security objectives.

The Pentagon is expected to submit its fiscal 2015 budget request to Congress next week.http://www.nationaljournal.com/global-security-newswire/nuclear-triad-to-survive-hagel-cuts-in-pentagon-spending-20140224