Legislative provisions that call for eliminating personnel, officers and headquarters staff in an across-the-board manner without proper deliberation would have a negative impact on the Pentagon's mission and undercut the department's Force of the Future initiative, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told lawmakers in a recent letter. In a July 13 "heartburn letter" sent to lawmakers , Carter said he "strongly objects" to a number of proposals in the fiscal year 2017 defense authorization bill. "At a time when the department...
