WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the Department of Defense budget gets slimmer each day, military and civilian personnel are getting creative with how to cover shortfalls. The Pentagon has already started using candlelight to save on energy, and they are back to notepads and pens instead of computers. Now, they are trying to get some help from the business community.

"It's a real shame when we can't spend all the money we want anymore," said General Raymond Elliott, "so I figure, let's try something different."

Elliott proposed a novel idea to the Joint Chiefs and the President: Corporate sponsorship.

In a pitch to a joint conference of Pentagon officials and business leaders, Elliott laid out what he said was a "synergistic relationship."