VOA标准英语2013--五角大楼警告意在避免预算僵局（在线收听）

Pentagon's Warnings Intend to Avert Budget Standoff 五角大楼警告意在避免预算僵局

PENTAGON — U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel this week unleashed a new campaign to break the U.S. budget impasse that triggered the recent massive automatic cuts known as "sequestration." Hagel had a list of specific areas where U.S. defense will suffer if Congress and the Obama administration do not reach a budget deal soon.

五角大楼电——美国国防部长查克·黑格这周发起了一项旨在打破美国预算僵局的被称为“隔离”的运动，它将引起大量自动削减。如果国会和奥巴马政府没有尽快达成预算协议，黑格清楚在哪些地方美国国防将遭受（困难）。

Among the things to go could be three of the 11 U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups.

11艘航空母舰打击群中的三艘也将面临即将到来的削减。

For months, the Defense Department had been issuing dire warnings about the weakening effect that massive, automatic cuts to the defense budget would have on the U.S. armed forces.  

这几个月，国防部已发布了可怕的警告：这些大量自动的国防预算削减将对美国武装部队产生弱化作用。

This week, Defense secretary Chuck Hagel laid out some options, with specifics.   

这周，国防部长查克·黑格详细地陈列了一些选择项。

“In the first approach, we would trade away size for high-end capability. This would further shrink the active Army to between 380,000 to 450,000 troops, reduce the number of carrier strike groups from 11 to 8 or 9, draw down the Marine Corps from 182,000 to between 150,000 and 175,000, and retire older Air Force bombers,” said Hagel.

“第一个方法：我们将削减高端武器装备的数量。进一步削减现役军人数量至380000到450000之间；减少航母打击群的数量：从11艘到8至9艘；将海军陆战队兵力从182000削减至150000到175000左右；最后，退役老旧的空军轰炸机。”黑格说。

The second option would be to maintain a large force - with the accompanying high costs of health care and other benefits - and put off investing in new weaponry.  

第二个选择：在高成本的卫生保健和其他福利条件下保持庞大的军力，推迟新武器的投资。

“The basic trade-off is between capacity measured in the number of army brigades, navy ships, air force squadrons, and marine battalions and capability - our ability to modernize weapons systems and maintain our military's technological edge,” said Hagel.

“基本的削减是在对陆军部队、海军舰队、空军编队、海军陆战队营和武器装备的数量估计容量之间——我们使武器系统现代化的能力和保持我们军事工艺优势的能力。”黑格说。

Some Pentagon officials prefer the option of cutting the size of the force and relying more on unmanned aerial vehicles - or drones - and special operations forces.

一些五角大楼行政人员偏向削减军队数量的选择，（以后）更多地依赖无人机、遥控飞机和特殊行动部队。

Defense budget analyst Todd Harrison said regardless of whether the budget crisis is resolved, the Pentagon is due for massive reductions following the end of U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

国防预算分析家托德·哈里森说，不管预算危机是否能得到解决，随着伊战和阿富汗战争的美军介入的结束，国防部都应大量削减（预算）。

“Smaller is not necessarily worse if smaller means that you have better capabilities and you can do more with a smaller force. That is the big question mark here,” said Harrison.

“如果更小的规模意味着你有更好的能力，更小不一定就是更差；你可以利用更小规模的兵力做更多的工作。那才是这里的一个大问号。”哈里森说道。

The Pentagon's past warnings about the effects of sequestration went unheeded. The budget crisis continued, and the automatic cuts kicked in. Harrison said Hagel, by offering details of the effects, is trying to get Congress' attention.

国防部过去关于“隔离”运动影响的警告被忽视了。预算危机继续进行，那些自动削减开始发生。哈里森说，黑格通过提供这些影响的细节，正努力争取国会的注意。

“What I think Secretary Hagel was trying to do with this is reestablish some of that credibility by making more specific projections of what would be required under sequestration, rather than painting in broad strokes,” said Harrison.

“我认为，对此黑格正努力做的是：通过预测一些在“隔离”运动中会出现的更为具体的事物，而不是宽泛的描述，以恢复一些信誉。”哈里森说道。

Defense officials hope the warning pushes Congress and the Obama administration to break their budget impasse. 

国防部行政人员希望：这警告将促使国会和奥巴马政府打破他们的预算僵局。