A top Pentagon official has outlined some of the equipment that is to underscore the US military's Asia-Pacific rebalancing and is thus likely to be protected in upcoming budget cycles. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said during a 3 October 2012 speech at a National Bureau of Asian Research event in Washington, DC, that the United States would - despite a projected slowdown in defence budget growth - deliver on its promise to shift equipment, personnel, and attention to the region. "We are investing in new capabilities that will be especially relevant to the Asia-Pacific region, and we have carefully protected these capabilities even in the face of the [2011] Budget Control Act," Carter said, although he noted that sequestration could seriously affect that calculus.
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