Political Quotes

“less than 2 years ago, the National Security Committee brought to light the downward trend in readiness throughout the military services resulting from defense spending cuts, diversion of funds to meet unbudgeted contingency operations, force structure reductions, and a high pace of operations. Routine training was being canceled. We also heard reports of deferred maintenance, spare parts shortages, and a quality of life for our servicemembers which was suffering. under the strong leadership of Chairman Spence, the committee undertook a multifaceted strategy to maintain readiness which has helped to address the unacceptable trends in short-term readiness. Readiness is a perishable commodity which demands our constant attention. The root causes which led to the readiness problems less than 2 years ago still exist. Defense spending is being cut, force structure is being reduced, and the pace of operations is still high. Adding to my concern is what I view as the administration trying to squeeze defense requirements into a topline driven budget which does not satisfy the current and future needs of our military forces. This has resulted in a juggling exercise that unfortunately pits near-term readiness against modernization. This should not be an either-or- proposition.”