Efficiencies Meeting

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other top defense officials are expected to meet Thursday afternoon with a select group of defense industry leaders to discuss Gates' big push for efficiencies in the Pentagon's budget, industry sources said. The defense secretary has set a goal of finding more than $100 billion in overhead savings over the next five fiscal years, starting in FY-12. Some of these savings can be found by doing more to eliminate unneeded programs and activities, while other savings can be found by conducting needed programs and activities more efficiently, Gates maintains.