Cuts, cuts and more cuts. No matter what your position is within the Department of Defense, the question looms…how will the sequestration affect me personally? Unless legislation is passed to “undo” the Budget Control Act, on Friday, March 1st, President Obama will be required to issue a sequestration order. Sequestration will generate automatic cuts for nine years, totaling $1.2 trillion. The 2013 cuts will require a $500 billion reduction to defense. Yikes. So what will this year look like? It is hard to know exactly, however, the projections involve unpaid furloughs for civilian government employees, reduced training, weapon cuts, reduced contracting and possible cuts in base operating support on military posts. The Pentagon warns that we may be looking at the smallest military force since WWII. So, what does all of this mean to you as a uniformed servicemember? Maybe nothing. Maybe life will go on as usual. However, there is no doubt in my mind, that all of these fiscal cuts may enter the mind of a commander reviewing the proposed administrative separations sitting on her desk. She may be a little quicker to put her pen to paper and separate servicemembers. If you are facing separation or have already been separated and you feel that you were not given proper consideration, I can help. Sometimes all it takes is to have someone in your corner. The people that make the decisions that affect your career are human beings and in my experience they are always willing to listen. Sometimes all they need to hear is why they should give you another chance, despite the nation’s fiscal situation. I can do that for you. To speak to an experienced court-martial and military defense attorney, call Bill Cassara at 1-888-288-3347 for a free consultation.