美國軍方高官警告不要再削減軍費預算
The top U.S. defense officials, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, are cautioning U.S. lawmakers against mandating more budget cuts to the military.
美國軍方最高官員，國防部長帕內塔和參謀長聯席會議主席馬倫警告美國議員們不要再要求對軍事預算進行更多地削減。
In his first official briefing in the Pentagon as the new U.S. defense secretary, Leon Panetta told reporters Thursday that he believes the military can manage its $350 billion in budget cuts signed into law by President Barack Obama earlier this week.
利昂·帕內塔8月4日(星期四)在擔任美國國防部長之後，首次在五角大樓舉行的正式通報會上對記者表示，他認爲軍方可以應付得了奧巴馬總統本週早些時候簽署成爲法律，對軍方進行3千500億美元的預算削減。
But he warned that he thinks it would be "completely unacceptable" if the U.S. military was, as he put it, "hollowed out," by additional, across-the-board cuts to spending. "That approach would be particularly harmful because we are a nation at war. We face a broad and growing range of security threats and challenges that our military must be prepared to confront. From terrorist networks, to rogue nations, to dealing with rising powers that always look at us to determine whether or not we will in fact maintain a strong defense," Panetta said.
但是他警告說，他認爲如果美國軍方再次遭受全面削減開支，如他所說的“被掏空的話”，那將是“完全不可接受的”。他說：“那種局面會非常有害，因爲我們是一個處於戰爭中的國家。我們面臨的安全威脅和挑戰非常大，而且範圍在不斷擴展，我們的軍隊必須準備好應對。從恐怖分子網絡，到流氓國家，再到應對崛起的大國，這些大國總是在盯着我們，看我們是否真的保持着一支強大的國防力量。”
These further budget cuts would happen across government agencies, in what Panetta calls a "doomsday mechanism" included in the deal to raise the debt ceiling. However, the automatic cuts would only occur if lawmakers cannot come up with a plan for more targeted cuts to spending in the future.
在提高債務上限的法案中，包括有帕內塔稱之爲“末日機制”的條款，這些條款會導致政府各部門進一步預算削減。
Speaking alongside Panetta, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen addressed the prospect of what could be nearly $1 trillion in military spending cuts over the next 10 years if lawmakers cannot agree. "We've looked into that abyss, if you will, and we know that that is, my view is, the service chiefs' view is that is very dangerous for the country," Mullen said.
跟帕內塔一道出席通報會的美軍參謀長聯席會議主席馬倫上將強調如果國會議員們達不成協議，在未來10年內軍方可能會被削減開支近1萬億美元。他說：“我們已經仔細考慮過這種深淵絕境般的處境。如果你們要這樣，那我的觀點是，國防部長的觀點是，那樣做對國家來說非常危險。”
Mullen repeated his view that the U.S. debt is the greatest national security threat. He said military programs that are behind schedule and over budget are under much scrutiny as the military tries on its own to cut costs.
馬倫上將重申了他的觀點，那就是美國的債務是國家安全最大的威脅。他說，落後於預定計劃，並且超支的軍隊項目正在受到密切關注，軍方自身也在試圖削減開支。
Panetta also urged lawmakers to look away from the defense spending and consider making concessions on entitlement programs, which account for most of the federal budget, and increasing taxes as they seek ways to save more money.
帕內塔也敦促國會議員們不要再緊盯着國防開支，要考慮從佔聯邦預算絕大部分開支的政府補貼社會項目上尋找節省開支的途徑，並且在尋求節約資金途徑的同時增加稅收。
And despite acknowledging the fact that the United States is involved in two wars, a NATO-led operation in Libya and disaster relief missions abroad, both defense leaders vowed to work with President Obama and lawmakers to do everything they can to cut costs.
儘管承認美國正捲入兩場戰爭，一場由北約領導的針對利比亞的行動，以及海外救災行動，但是這兩位軍方領導人都誓言要和奧巴馬總統以及國會議員們一道，盡一切可能削減開支。
