What's the most important thing the military should do while going through this downsizing period?

Not to loose moral, and not blame anyone. Follow the chain of command to a T.

We have gone through this several times in the past and each time we have ended in either a war or a police action (Korea).  We find ourselves unprepared and ill equipt.  The Pentagon needs to not cut the personnel so far that we cannot defend the country and insure that the weapons needed are still in the pipeline.  Every time the country goes through a FIF they only see a short term advantage, not the long term.

Remember it takes boots on the ground to win any engagement for permanency.

With significant and serious fiscal difficulties...as shown through this government shutdown.  How about not changing the UNIFORMS for more than a decade.... Although recent battlegrounds called for it the overall perspective is between WWII and Vietnam almost a 40yr period the uniforms generally remained the same for fatigues.  Since 2000 the uniforms have changed from BDU, DCU, ACU, and Multicam...relveance????  Someone high up(O-6+) getting out gets a kickback while we remain under the microscope/ suck it up and purchase newer useless uniforms.  Stick to what we knew prior to the attacks... Have a deployed uniform and a garrison uniform.  Secure these resources that are necesary not for more uniform changes and funnel them into maxxed out training for units/battalions/brigades/ and divisions that could use the funds.  Also get the training doen dont let commanders just put it on a paper describing the METL enforce it and show once and for all the most Professional and Dedicated all volunteer force has what it takes to endure another dry battleground.

Fire all top leadership. E-8 and up and officers 04 and up. They get a superiority and power mentality by that time and generally are out for their own carreers instead of what is good for the Army and the country. Fire all contractors and use the money to increase soldier numbers by filling the vacated positions with hard working soldiers. Get away from this stupid "warrior" mentality (warriors get to rape, pilliage and plunder their defeated enemy. Frankly it is insulting to be compared to that.) and get back to a professional soldier mentality. Finally, stop all this social engeneering! I believe this would save the military.

Sit down, bend over, put your head between your legs and kiss your butt good bye. Seriously though I feel the best way for negating the downsizing, would be to make sure that we keep our R & D Dept. going full steam ahead.

Circle the wagons around the Constitution.....keeping in mind.... How and why .... the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, were first formed. The forefathers did not mean for us to Serve a King buit serve a set beleif in God and  Country. Also keeping in mind the King was why they left England and started a separate and free Country!

The focus should be an honing every single part of the force.  Every opportunity as a soldier is a chance to better ready oneself for the primary mission, combat.  Be it a police call picking up cigarette butts and every other thing unnatural to the environment, pt and squeezing out another push up to pushed passed muscle failure, going through the sop and taking the extra step to go above and beyond, there is always something that can be done to keep sharpening the tip of the spear.  That is what Hooah is.  Being all that one can be, is exactly that.  In the Army every soldier should hate without a doubt the expression, "it is what it is":the stupidest excuse in existence.  Start being all that you can be, force wide, and watch as the coeur d'esprit starts to shine and soar again past all the sequester, all the shutdown, all the nonsense, i.e. all the b.s..  Can Do, Rock of the Marne, Hooah.

Put our troop and Military on the borders