Tony Thurmond: “the Joint Chiefs described alarming indicators of declining readiness. I strongly believe that if there is an actual…”

“the Joint Chiefs described alarming indicators of declining readiness. I strongly believe that if there is an actual emergency that should be addressed in this omnibus supplemental bill, it should be military readiness. The Joint Chiefs testified that while the $1 billion readiness supplemental requested by the Department of Defense would be helpful, it is inadequate to maintain the readiness of our military forces. I believe that, as the highest priority, the Congress should have provided an emergency supplemental for military readiness of at least $2 billion. Mr. President, while I appreciate and commend the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the majority leader for negotiating this agreement under difficult circumstances, I regret that the final agreement provides only half that amount which I believe is required now to shore up our military readiness. Mr. President, next year, we are going to have to face up to the serious fiscal problems our military services are experiencing in addition to already existing outlay problems. The Secretary of Defense is conferring now with the Office of Management and Budget to determine how additional funds can be provided for defense next year and in the out years. I do not believe the administration will request the additional $20 billion or so which the Joint Chiefs indicated will be required annually over the next 5 years to address personnel, readiness, and modernization deficiencies.”