Top officers issue urgent warning over budget cuts Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 11:56 am, Tuesday, February 12, 2013 WASHINGTON (AP) — Pending automatic spending cuts have put the U.S. armed forces on a path to being so unprepared for combat that it would be "immoral" to use them, the Defense Department's top leaders told lawmakers Tuesday in their most dire warning yet of how looming budget reductions could undercut military readiness. Gen.