Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has directed senior Pentagon officials to re-examine the U.S. military strategy approved last year to see how priorities may need to be adjusted due to budget cuts that took effect on March 1, U.S. officials said. According to the Associated Press, "the decision, made on Friday, comes as the Pentagon is struggling to cut $46 billion from this year's defense budget and faces the prospect of an additional $50 billion per year in reductions to projected spending for the next nine years."