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. Powell said Defense Secretary Dick Cheney's plan released earlier this week to cut military forces by 25 percent over five years shows ``we are willing to examine any reasonable proposal.'' 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 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."