Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey testified on the 2013 military budget. Secretary Panetta defended proposed cuts of $487 billion over the next decade that were required by an August 2011 agreement between President Obama and Congress, with many committee members arguing the cuts are a risk to national security. Secretary Panetta said that he had not prepared for additional budget cuts that will be triggered if Congress cannot agree to additional budget cuts. Other topics included troop levels in Afghanistan, military base closings, and Iran.