Defense budget.

• Author: Cancian, Mark
• Position: Reader's Forum - Letter to the editor

Lawrence Farrell's April 2012 President's Perspective, "Defense Budget: Some Clues Have Emerged, but More Uncertainty Ahead," makes several good points.

The Defense Department has had to make cuts everywhere to meet lower than expected budgets. Some accounts like procurement have taken larger proportional hits. A continuing resolution is likely as the stalemate continues. If sequester is required, then the strategy will need to be changed again.

But the numbers are a bit off. Farrell cites $525 billion for fiscal year 2013, which is correct (for base discretionary spending). He says this is down from $541 billion in fiscal year 2012. That's not correct. Defense Department spending in 2012 was $531...