Political Quotes

“I will support H.R. 889 because it replenishes defense funds which were depleted to support unbudgeted operations in Haiti, Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Korea, and refugee support in the Caribbean. Without these reimbursements, defense readiness will certainly suffer. The Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. Gordon Sullivan, testified before the House National Security Committee that "readiness will drop off the table" if the supplemental appropriations is not passed. He further stated that all Army training will cease May 31 if the funds are not provided. The Navy reports that 4 carrier airwings would be forced to stand down and 500 aircraft would be grounded. The Air Force has indicated that its flight time would be cut in half if the supplemental fails. The readiness crisis faced by the Armed Forces is not, unfortunately, a recent phenomenon. Defense Secretary William Perry admitted last year that in 1994, 3 of the Army's 12 divisions were far below peak readiness standards, and that 2 of the Army's main quick-reaction units would have been unable to fulfill some of their missions if they were ordered into combat.”