WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama would need to forgo some military capabilities and scale back U.S. forces in order to carry out further deep defense cuts, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
"(Defense Secretary Robert Gates) has been clear that further significant defense cuts cannot be accomplished without reducing force structure and military capability," said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell.
Obama earlier on Wednesday proposed to save $400 billion on security spending by 2023, as he seeks to bring the U.S. debt and deficit under control. But Obama also said he would never accept cuts that compromised the U.S. national security. (Reporting by Missy Ryan and Phil Stewart; Editing by Eric Beech)
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