SAN DIEGO, California (Reuters) – For sailors aboard the USS Higgins docked in San Diego, a popular question for visiting Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday was how the austerity drive he announced this week would affect them.
“We are fighting two wars and so the budget is a huge deal for us,” said Naval Petty Officer Michael Allen after Gates gave him and the rest of the crew aboard the guided-missile destroyer a commemorative coin.
“On our level there are things we can do (to cut costs) but we don't make the decisions about it,” Allen said.
Gates was peppered with questions about the finances of the U.S. military and whether he had plans, for example, to cut back on forces, or whether it would be harder to get supplies.
Full story: Sailors press Gates on how defense budget hits them