Debate on military cuts intensifies in Washington

The intensifying debate within the United States over defense cuts is something that has not received much attention in the rest of the world.

On one hand, a recent survey by the Center for Public Integrity showed that the majority of US citizens favor cuts in defense spending, with the average total cut at around $103 billion, representing a huge portion of the current $562 billion budget.

This amount far exceeds the likely amount of $50 billion that will be cut at the beginning of 2013 under the so-called "sequestration" legislation passed in 2011 during the debate over the debt ceiling.