Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believes that budget uncertainty continues to affect what he called the U.S. military’s recovery of lost capabilities and readiness for the future, DoD News reported Wednesday.
Jim Garamone writes that the Budget Control Act of 2011 and the threat of sequestration present a challenge to the military’s efforts to meet the increased operational tempo.
“[Budget] uncertainty has not allowed us to recover the readiness we need to recover at the pace we need to recover it,” Dempsey told DoD News in an interview.
He noted that U.S. forces need to recover skills such as decisive maneuver and air-to-air combat, while components such as U.S. Marine Corps aviation and remotely piloted aircraft have been overworked.
Garamone reports that Dempsey aims for Congress to grant budget flexibility to the Defense Department and pace budget cuts instead of using continuing resolutions.
