US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaks during a press conference at Pentagon in Washington D.C. on Jan. 26, 2012. Panetta on Thursday unveiled the Pentagon's budget request for the 2013 fiscal year, which includes plans to significantly cut defense spending and Army personnel at a time of fiscal constraint. Photo: Xinhua

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday unveiled the Pentagon's budget request for the 2013 fiscal year, including plans to cut previously projected spending by 259 billion dollars over five years.

The Pentagon is seeking 525 billion dollars in base defense budget for the fiscal year starting October, down from 531 billion dollars it requested for FY 2012, Panetta said at a press conference at the Pentagon. The base budget will rise to 567 billion dollars by FY 2017.

The Pentagon is also seeking 88 billion dollars for combat operations, primarily in Afghanistan, making the total defense budget at 614 billion dollars for next fiscal year.

The new budget plan was guided by the 2011 Budget Control Act's requirement to reduce defense spending by approximately 487 billion dollars over the next decade, Penetta said.