ROBERT HALE: “We hope that Congress will enact this deficit reduction plan, or an alternative that the President can sign, and then…”

If our assumptions about Iraq or Afghanistan turn out to be overly optimistic, or if global conditions change for the worse, we would be able to adjust the size and schedule of this change or even reverse it altogether.

If we find ourselves taking $52 billion out of that request, as would be required if there is no changes in the Budget Control Act, then the suddenness of that decline will cause serious problems.

Please don't use the word nonessential as regards our civilians.

I worry about our civilian workforce. I do not know--three pay freezes, furlough potential--I am not sure why anybody would want to work for us right now.