Defense Cuts: Four Navy Programs To Watch Closely (From Forbes)

The fiscal walls fashioned by the 2011 Budget Control Act are beginning to close in on the military services. Having long since trimmed away any low-hanging fruit, the services now must contemplate cuts to genuinely vital programs. Four big Navy programs have recently been the subject of rumors about potential spending cuts in 2014-2015: a replacement for Ohio-class ballistic-missile subs, new payload modules to increase the firepower of Virginia-class attack subs, the Littoral Combat Ship, and the carrier-based variant of the F-35 joint strike fighter. If any of these programs suffer significant reductions due to sequestration, U.S. warfighters are more likely to die in the future, and wars are less likely to be won. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.