{"id":44344,"date":"2019-07-15T13:50:57","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T13:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/15\/the-us-military-will-pay-the-price-if-no-budget-deal-is-reached\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:34:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:34:19","slug":"the-us-military-will-pay-the-price-if-no-budget-deal-is-reached","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2019\/07\/15\/the-us-military-will-pay-the-price-if-no-budget-deal-is-reached\/","title":{"rendered":"The US military will pay the price if no budget deal is reached"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Right now, Congress is teetering on the edge of a slippery slope that could damage our military capabilities for generations and jeopardize our ability to deal with China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, the United States military faced a serious readiness crisis. Two-thirds<\/a> of the Navy\u2019s F\/A-18 fighter jets were not mission-capable. Only three<\/a> of the Army\u2019s 58 brigade combat teams could be called upon to fight that night. Maintenance was backlogged for years. Critical training exercises had been cut. Qualified technicians were leaving the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Trump has taken action to rebuild readiness, modernize our forces and restore our competitive advantage. He launched a new National Defense Strategy to focus on 21st century threats and deter near-peer competitors like Russia and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have since reinvested in our military, and as a result, readiness is on the rise and modernization efforts are underway. But much of this progress will be lost if Congress and the White House do not come to an immediate agreement on a funding plan for the upcoming fiscal year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budget negotiations<\/a> have been going on for months, but little progress has been made. Congress only has so long<\/a> until the end of the fiscal year, on Sept. 30. As a result, lawmakers and the administration have openly discussed the possibility of a one-year continuing resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The use of a CR would be a grave mistake. It will kill our military\u2019s readiness recovery effort and devastate our defense capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year was the first time in a decade that the Pentagon started the fiscal year without at least a three-month CR. However, the Department of Defense has never operated under a full-year CR.<\/p>\n\n\n\t