JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF ISSUE WARNING TO CONGRESS RE MILITARY
AUSN Blogs
Earlier this week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), consisting of seven members who have all attained the rank of four-star general, finally issued a severe warning to Congress regarding the readiness of our Armed Services and the crisis it is in due to the impact of the ‘Fiscal-Cliff’ bill, H.R. 8, from last Congress on New Year’s Day and its delay of sequestration until March (see chart of Budget Effects of ‘Fiscal-Cliff’ deal as a PDF below). The main concern voiced by the 28 star-panel of senior military leaders is that our U.S. forces would be, “compromised due to the consequences we would face from the “congressionally mandated, across-the-board cuts facing the Pentagon.” The JCS members went so far as to say that, “the military is on the brink of becoming a hollowed-out force.” (See attached PDF of the letter below).
House Armed Services Committee, Chairman, Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA-25), quickly responded to the letter, stated in a press release, “it is my hope that [this letter] serves as a wake-up call. The condition of our Armed Forces is swiftly declining. And this is the first red flag on what could be a hazardous road for our national security.” JCS members continued to explain in the letter that due to the current budget conditions that are unfolding, the services are already identifying cuts, furloughs, and other measures that they would need to undertake to deal with the sequester. Another issue evolving in this debate, noted in the letter, centers on who will ultimately fall prey to these cuts. Combat forces and operations, as well as wounded warriors would need to be shielded from sequestration, meaning the cuts will fall over a significantly smaller portion of the military than people might assume. The Joint Chiefs noted that this issue will exacerbate, “the readiness… decreases for forces that may need to respond to a contingency.” For everyone affected by the cuts, “aircraft would be grounded, ships returned to port, combat vehicles parked and training reduced by half.” not to mention about 800,000 civilian employees of the Pentagon, who provide essential functions such as maintenance, intelligence, logistics, contracting, and health care, could be furloughed.
The Joint Chiefs are seeking a legislative solution, “that offers the military time and flexibility to reshape the force.” They also argue that ending the sequester alone won’t be enough. In response to the looming cuts and potential shortfalls that may arise, DOD distributed a memo this past week, see AUSN Capitol Hill Blog on DOD Memo, authorizing each Service to take immediate steps, focusing on those that are reversible, to reduce expenditures and to conduct detailed planning. Examples of such steps include: terminating temporary employees consistent with mission requirements as well as denying extension of on term appointments unless and exception is approved; curtailing temporary duties and professional training that are not mission-critical, such as attendance at or hosting of conferences, staff assistance visits and training seminars; and reviewing contracts and studies for possible cost savings and curtailing or canceling ongoing and scheduled studies that are not congressionally directed or mission-critical.
The Department of the Navy, in particular, sent a communication (attached as a PDF below) to Sailors and Marines noting the precarious situation the CR and the delay of sequestration has left the Navy in. In the memo, by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, he notes that while, “we expect to receive FY13 Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO) funding; however, those funds are earmarked for support of critical war fighting requirements and would not provide any significant relief to our baseline operating accounts. We project a shortfall of over $4 billion in our base Operation and Maintenance (O&M) accounts which funds Navy and Marine Corps Readiness.” Some of the measures that Secretary Mabus stated that would need to happen almost immediately to prepare for this budget showdown includes the Navy reducing travel, delaying all decommissioning’s and any disposals or layups, terminate all temporary employees and implementing a hiring freeze.
This week, AUSN sent its first Alert to AUSN Members, AUSN Legislative Alert #113-1, voicing the impact of these concerns to Congressional leaders to come up with a bipartisan solution quickly as this ‘kick-the-can’ solution negotiated this past New Year’s will come to a head in March.
Please continue to contact your Representatives and Senators and voice your concerns by using our Contact Congress feature and help get the word out. This is an ALL HANDS ON DECK effort and your grassroots advocacy will help make the changes that need to happen!
