Further uncertainty will impact relations with allies: Hagel

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said that further fiscal uncertainty would undermine the country's national security and its relationships with allies.
"Our allies are asking questions, can we rely on our partnership with America? Will America fulfil its commitments and its promises? These are huge issues for all of us, and they do impact our national security and our relationships and our standing in the world," the US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters at a news conference.
Hagel said these are the consequences of not being able to plan and prepare because of that uncertainty that they are living under. Hagel's remarks came hours after the end of the government shut down and a showdown over raising government's borrowing authority.

Urging the Congress to remove this shadow of uncertainty, Hagel said, "And if the sequester level continues, there will also be consequences."
The Department of Defence (DoD) is already under a lot of strain, he noted.
"In our Strategy Choices and Management Review, DOD explained how the continuation of these abrupt cuts put us at risk of fielding a force that is unprepared due to a lack of training, maintenance, and the latest equipment," he said.
"DOD has a responsibility to give America's elected leaders and the American people a clear-eyed assessment of what our military can and cannot do after years of sequester-level cuts.

"In the months ahead, we will continue to provide our best and most honest assessment as Congress works to establish the nation's long-term spending priorities," Hagel said.