WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned against a "devastating" second round of defense cuts on Thursday as the Pentagon stepped up its campaign to convince Congress to look elsewhere for savings as it works to trim the $1.4 trillion deficit.
Panetta, at his first Pentagon news conference, said the initial $350 billion cut in security spending signed into law this week was tough but manageable. He urged Congress to raise revenues or look at cutting other areas of the budget before taking anything more from defense.
"We're already taking our share of ... cuts as part of this debt ceiling agreement. And those (cuts) are going to be tough enough," Panetta said. "But I think anything beyond that would damage our national defense."
Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed Panetta's concerns, saying "debilitating and capricious cuts nearly double to those already in the offing puts at grave risk" the military's ability to accomplish its current and future missions.
The remarks by the Pentagon's civilian and military leadership came just days after Congress approved and President Barack Obama signed an agreement to begin to address the U.S. budget deficit and its $14.3 trillion debt.
The deal calls for an estimated $350 billion in cuts to national security spending over 10 years, most of which would be borne
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