Is President Obama keeping his promise to cut defense spending?
ByIs President Obama keeping his promise to cut defense spending?
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President Obama has asked Congress for $671 billion for the Defense Department in fiscal 2012. The request includes $553 billion in core spending, including weapons procurement, and nearly $118 billion in military spending for Iraq and Afghanistan. The defense budget also increases spending on electronic warfare, unmanned drones and helicopters. During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised to reform and cut Pentagon spending. With us to discuss whether the president has kept his promise is Winslow T. Wheeler, director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Center for Defense Information, which put out the recent book The Pentagon Labyrinth: 10 Short Essays to Help You Through It.