The Navy announced last week that the aircraft carrier Harry S Truman (CVN-75) and cruiser Gettysburg (CG-64) would delay their deployment to the Middle East indefinitely in response to budget uncertainties, and more deployments will be canceled or cut short, a Navy spokesman told Inside the Navy.

The Defense Department could use funding shifts to manage the impact of sequestration, but these tools would not significantly curb automatic cuts to key contracts and programs, a senior White House official said today.

The Army continues to struggle with the higher-than-anticipated cost of withdrawing equipment from Afghanistan as key shipping routes through Pakistan have remained effectively unusable for the enormous undertaking, according to sources and documents.

Pentagon plans to press ahead with a follow-on buy of two Space Based Infrared System satellites this fiscal year are at risk in the face of continued uncertainty about the FY-13 budget, threatening a production line break and increased costs, according to Air Force officials.

A Pentagon initiative to increase the efficiency of military contracting and acquisition has been changing the way the Air Force assigns contract types to its programs and gathers information about the work being done on those contracts.

The Defense Department has set an "aggressive" time line for the completion of its fiscal year 2014 budget request, mandating that the services and defense agencies turn in their detailed spending plans in time for an expected release date in "mid-March."

The combination of sequestration and a full-year continuing resolution will force the Air Force to buy at least two fewer Joint Strike Fighters than it planned in fiscal year 2013, while cutting $2 billion from sustainment and likely breaking its contract with Lockheed Martin to re-engine the C-5 cargo fleet, according to two senior service officials.

The Defense Department plans to stand up several enhanced proposal price analysis teams at aerospace contractors as part of an ongoing effort to boost efficiency in defense spending.

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) has pledged to make auditability a priority if confirmed as the next defense secretary, a commitment that has pleased a member of an independent panel that advises the Defense Department on financial management issues.

The Defense Department's fiscal year 2014 budget is slated to focus more investment in disruptive technologies with the aim of using them to support the development of emerging DOD capabilities, according to a Pentagon source familiar with the plans.

The Air Force expects its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a new model of the C-130 cargo aircraft designed for special operations and two of its premier missile-tracking satellites would experience acquisition delays if sequestration defense cuts go into effect, the service has told congressional staff.

With looming fiscal constraints squeezing service modernization plans, the Pentagon's No. 2 officer is entreating managers of major weapon system programs -- particularly those struggling with cost and schedule problems -- to seek relief from hard-to-achieve requirements that are holding them up, according to Defense Department officials and documents.

Air Force Global Strike Command has decided to trim the flying hours of its workhorse B-52 fleet by 10 percent, effective immediately, in an effort to prepare for sequestration-related budget cuts that could come next month.

Every Army procurement program is poised for cuts of up to 15 percent under sequestration, which would impact more than 1,000 companies in more than 40 states and "shock" communities around the country, according to a service "talking points" memo obtained by InsideDefense.com.

The Army's support of high-profile U.S. missions abroad could be impacted by efforts to prepare for sequestration, according to officials and documents.

The White House Office of Management and Budget has issued key budget guidance to the Pentagon, advancing the Defense Department's efforts to finalize its fiscal year 2014 budget plans.

The Air Force has increased its estimate on the percentage of flying hours that may need to be cut in order to offset the pressure of sequestration.

In response to a tough economy, the Pentagon might want to emulate industry's capabilities to quickly assess budget problems, control costs and prioritize profitable components, an ongoing Defense Business Board review has found.

The Navy will face a $4 billion operations and maintenance cut in fiscal year 2013 if sequestration is triggered in March, forcing the fleet to stop all deployments to the Caribbean and South America and curb other movements around the globe, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert writes in a memo.

A new assessment considers the loss of 126,000 personnel as a worst-case scenario Army leaders may have to face as they orchestrate a force-reduction slated to save billions of dollars by late 2017.