5 Shocking Statements from Top U.S. Military Leaders That Show Our Armed Forces are in Deep Trouble

Andrew Santora, Justin T. Johnson

Security,

Problem: “We’re mortgaging future [combat] readiness for current readiness.”

Four of America’s top military officers recently testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on long-term budget challenges facing the military. While the hearing didn’t grab many headlines, some of the statements from these leaders should make all Americans concerned about the status of our military.

Ultimately, these four officers (the chiefs of staff of the Army and Air Force, the chief of naval operations, and the commandant of the Marine Corps) stressed the dire and potentially deadly effects of inadequate funding on military readiness.

Here are five statements during the Sept. 15 hearing from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and two of the three other chiefs that should be particularly concerning:

1. Milley: “We’re mortgaging future [combat] readiness for current readiness.”

Milley explained that the current underfunding of the Army, along with an eight-year reliance on stopgap funding bills, particularly jeopardized the Army’s ability to be ready for future threats.

All four chiefs noted that the military has felt the strain of funding cuts, which led to a less capable, less experienced military. Milley stressed that the Army isn’t investing for the future, raising the potential that our adversaries will be better equipped.

2. Milley: “What we want is to deter … and the only thing more expensive than deterrence is actually fighting a war, and the only thing more expensive than fighting a war is fighting one and losing one. … It’s an investment that’s worth every nickel.”

Just as President Ronald Reagan talked about “peace through strength,” Milley argued that combat readiness is required to ensure that the U.S. doesn’t have to fight a war in the first place.

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