Army officials cautious about future funding (AP)

Monday October 6, 5:07 pm ET By Stephen Manning, AP Business Writer Army officials cautious about future of defense spending, modernization effort WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army's vision of the future includes computerized battles fought with a range of tools, from sensor-packed unmanned aircraft the size of a trash can to giant cannons capable of hitting targets miles away. But the envisioned marriage of high-tech innovations with heavy firepower comes with a big price tag, including an estimated $160 billion for the Army's top priority modernization program. That fact, combined with ongoing economic turmoil, a coming change in the White House and the recent passage of a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry, elicited cautious funding predictions from Army leaders on Monday. "It is critical we maintain a basic and... [read full story]