By John T. Bennett, The Hill, March 10, 2011

The leaders of the Senate Budget Committee sternly warned the Pentagon on Thursday that it faces a future of budget cuts.  Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) warned that the Pentagon will have to live with cuts, just like every other agency in Washington....

The White House ordered the Pentagon to slash $78 billion over five years from its budget as the Obama administration’s 2010 budget request was being finalized late last year. Yet if the Budget panel hearing on Thursday is any indication, the Pentagon will be asked to do even more in the near future.

Conrad....said he was “delighted” with the savings. But he then criticized Defense Secretary Robert Gates for taking that freed-up money “and putting it elsewhere” within the Pentagon’s budget. “That’s not a change,” a visibly annoyed Conrad said. “Can’t DOD come up with savings that are net savings?” Conrad asked Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn....