Two U.S. Army officials have said the service branch’s proposed budget of $125.1 billion for fiscal year 2017 aims to establish military readiness against asymmetric threats posed by Russia, China, North Korea and terrorist groups, the Army reported Thursday.
David Vergun writes Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Patrick Murphy, acting secretary of the Army, made the remarks at a hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations’ defense subpanel Thursday.
Milley and Murphy told the House subcommittee that funds for military modernization and manning programs had been reduced in the service branch’s budget request to prioritize readiness of service personnel.
“The Army must produce units ready today to win decisively… against an aggressive Russia or its surrogates,” Murphy noted.
“We’re mortgaging modernization to meet readiness.”
He added that lawmakers should decide on potential base realignment and closures in 2019 to help generate $500 million in savings and control risk arising from the budget cuts, the report said.
