Vermont's two United States senators are expressing displeasure and concern over proposed cut to the National Guard.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, co-chair of the Senate National Guard Caucus, says any planned long-term cut to Army National Guard "guts our citizen-soldier force."
Sen. Bernie Sanders told WPTZ in a statement "we should be growing - rather than shrinking - the National Guard" because of its cost-efficiency.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel proposed shrinking the Army to pre-WWII levels, closing military bases and making other military-wide savings Monday as part of a broad reshaping of priorities.
Hagel says the military must adjust to the reality of smaller budgets, even as the United States faces a more volatile, more unpredictable world that requires a more nimble military.
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