The U.S. military's massive spending could shrink substantially, at least if the Pentagon chief has his way. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recommended Monday slashing billions from the U.S. defense budget, in an effort to balance the military's 2015 budget that would — if approved by Congress — reduce the military to its smallest size since before World War II. Among components of Hagel's proposal were Army troop level cuts, the slowing of the growth of the Air Force's drone program and the elimination of the U-2 spy plane, once the stalwart of Cold War reconnaissance. The plan would still leave the U.S. spending far more on its military than any other country; its defense spending in 2012, according to government data, was more than the defense spending of the 10 countries just behind it in defense spending — combined. Still, the proposed cuts are sure to face an uphill battle in Congress.
