Any reduction below 490,000 Active Duty soldiers can only be made with the Nation and its leaders fully aware of the risks.

Sequestration may preclude the United States from doing this, limiting our strategic choices, and ceding initiative to potential adversaries.

If sequestration is implemented in fiscal year 2013 and beyond, and if the Continuing Resolution is extended for a full year, all Department investments will have to be reconsidered, including this one.

Secretary Carter, aside from sequestration, why does DOD continue to assert a mandate for defense accounts in the BCA?

I find the irony a sad testament on the priorities of this administration.

reductions of the scale that would be imposed by sequestration would have devastating effects on the ability of the U.S. military to accomplish its missions.

Sequestration will severely degrade Air Force capability, lethality, and responsiveness, resulting in increased warfighting risk and limited national strategic options.

reductions of the scale that would be imposed by sequestration would have devastating effects on the ability of the U.S. Armed Forces to accomplish their missions.

If sequestration is executed, Navy and Marine Corps aviation readiness will begin to degrade for nondeployed squadrons.

If sequestration occurs, OCO funding will be reduced.

Secretary Carter, when will they be notified of the impact to their contracts?

All nations in the Asia-Pacific are analyzing what we say here today, and what we do in the region.