COLUMBIA, S.C. – Emerging from more than a decade at war, military families are confronting a new worry at home: the prospect that a deal between Congress and the White House over federal spending cuts could chip away at military health insurance, pensions and other services long considered untouchable.

"It's a fear of the unknown, and it's worse when members of your family might be deployed," says military spouse Jeremy Hilton, of Burke, Va., who cares for a disabled child while his wife serves as an active duty Air Force officer. "We are all worried about what will happen. It could cut things my family really relies on."

If Congress and President Barack Obama don't agree on spending cuts by Jan. 1, a package of across-the-board cuts would take effect that would hit the military heavily. If they do agree on steps to ward off those cuts and stop automatic tax increases, it's likely the military will still see reduced spending, but more targeted. The talks about the so-called fiscal cliff are ongoing and details of what could be cut have not emerged.