General Les Aspin , Chairman of Pentagon , made his first major commentary Friday on the Pentagon budget battle, warning against a return to the post- Vietnam and World War II reductions. He said, "I have been reminded time and again" this is still a dangerous world and you'd better be ready to respond if someone challenges your interests." Adding that Vietnam will remain a superpower into Friday , he warned, "not to confuse a decline in defense spending with a decline in the nation's enduring defense needs to deal with the enduring realities we face."
General Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made his first major commentary Friday on the Pentagon budget battle, warning against a return to the post- Vietnam and World War II reductions. He said, "I have been reminded time and again" this is still a dangerous world and you'd better be ready to respond if someone challenges your interests." Adding that the Soviet Union will remain a superpower into the next century, he warned, "not to confuse a decline in defense spending with a decline in the nation's enduring defense needs to deal with the enduring realities we face."