DHAKA: US defence secretary Chuck Hagel sounded an alarm bell about budget cuts he said threaten America’s security and global military role, while ‘gambling’ over the risk of an unexpected threat.

The cuts, which amount to nearly US$1 trillion for the Department of Defence (DoD) over a decade, were ‘too steep, too deep and too abrupt’, Hagel told a defence conference in California, reports The Straits Times.

‘This is an irresponsible way to govern, and it forces the department into a very bad set of choices,’ he said.

Automatic cuts of US$52 billion set to take place in fiscal 2014 represent 10 percent of the Pentagon budget.

BDST: 1422 HRS, NOV 17, 2013
RoR/BSK