'Fiscal cliff' offers hint at more defense cuts - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

WASHINGTON (WKOW) -- As they continue to work to avoid the "fiscal cliff", House Republicans have presented President Obama with a counteroffer that hints at billions of dollars in military cuts.

This is on top of the nearly $500 billion cuts that the White House and Congress backed last year, and even the fiercest defense hawks acknowledge that the Pentagon faces another financial hit.

The GOP proposal calls for $300 billion in discretionary spending cuts to achieve savings of $2.2 trillion over 10 years. The blueprint offers no specifics, although the Pentagon and defense-related departments such as Homeland Security and State make up roughly half the federal government's discretionary spending.

The military, which is still coming to grips with the half-trillion-dollar cut in last year's deficit-reduction law, is looking at another $10 billion to $15 billion cut in projected defense spending each year for the next decade.