Under Review

President Barack Obama said last week that he would direct Defense Secretary Robert Gates to find $400 billion in spending cuts to help reduce the nation's deficit. Accompanying  that drill, he said, would be “a fundamental review of America's missions, capabilities and our role in a changing world.”

For the Army's brand new chief of staff, it appears the work has already begun.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, who was sworn-in as the Army's 37th chief on April 11, wrote on his Facebook wall over the weekend that the service was beginning a “comprehensive review” of its “missions, roles, and capabilities as directed by the Secretary of Defense

The Obama administration's goal is to decrease defense spending by $400 billion by 2023. While the Army's contributions to the cuts remain unknown, Dempsey sought to frame the effort as “an opportunity to 'see ourselves,' to articulate what is core in our profession, and to determine what capabilities we simply must provide for the nation.”