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Saxton, Forbes Introduce Legislation to Encourage Democrat Leadership to Pass Fiscal Year 2008 War Supplemental
Washington D.C. – Underscoring the direct link between the Fiscal Year 2008 war supplemental spending bill and improved military readiness, two Armed Services Subcommittee Ranking Republicans introduced legislation that would encourage the U.S. House of Representatives to “pass a clean Fiscal Year 2008 Global War on Terror supplemental in the interest of national security and to ensure the integrity of the entire military force.”
Air and Land Forces Subcommittee Ranking Republican Jim Saxton (R-NJ) and Readiness Subcommittee Ranking Republican J. Randy Forbes (R-VA) unveiled the legislation at a joint subcommittee hearing designed to discuss a Democrat bill that highlights military readiness but fails to acknowledge that the Fiscal Year 2008 Global War on Terror supplemental spending bill could help relieve the stress on America’s Armed Forces.
“We owe it to the soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and men and women of the Coast Guard to immediately pass the 2008 war supplemental. We are a nation at war and it is the duty of Congress to ensure the men and women who sacrifice the most have what they need to accomplish the mission. This is no time for politics. The money in the supplemental is necessary to reconstitute equipment, purchase replacement body armor and fund the training base,” said Rep. Saxton.
“While we have made recent progress in military readiness, we are learning hard lessons from decades of inadequate defense funding. It will take full and timely supplemental funding, as well as a commitment to raise the defense top-line to truly restore readiness and provide the strategic depth we need in this global environment,” continued Rep. Saxton.
"We face enormous challenges as we work to rebuild, transform and grow our Armed Forces while they are actively engaged in combat. However, we must realize that it takes time to fund, contract and provide equipment to meet operational demands and improve our military readiness,” said Rep. Forbes.
“Department of Defense officials have testified that the 2008 supplemental request is directly linked to our military's ability to improve readiness. Every day that passes without the readiness funding included in this supplemental is one more day that we delay gains in strategic readiness, and, ultimately, one more day that our national security is at risk," continued Rep. Forbes.
Despite Congressional testimony by senior Department of Defense civilian and military leaders that the Fiscal Year 2008 Global War on Terror supplemental spending request would help improve military readiness, Democrat leaders have refused to act on the supplemental spending bill.
During testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on February 6, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stressed that funding in the Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental request was directly linked to military readiness. He stated, “We have about $46 billion in the 2008 supplemental for reconstituting the force. We received about $13 billion plus of that in the bridge. So that will help us replace equipment and repair equipment that's associated here.”
Secretary Gates continued, “So I think there are a number of things that are in the budget that put us on the path to improve readiness. But it's clear that our readiness is focused, at least in the Army, on fighting the wars that we're in both Afghanistan and in Iraq. And the forces that are being sent there are fully trained and are ready when they go.”
While testifying before the House Armed Services Committee last week, the Army’s Vice Chief of Staff, General Richard Cody, explained the impact the Democrat leadership’s delay is having on the Army. He stated, “This year we didn't get all the money for reset, there's still $7.6 billion for the Army sitting out there, and time is not on our side. We now have the most brigades deployed that we've ever had consuming our equipment, our depots are running at twenty-six million direct-labor hours, and we need that $7.6 billion like in October of last year to start buying long-lead items because we've got the workforce energized and then, as these as these five brigades come out, be able to rapidly reset so we can start getting in to the time factor of building a strategic reserve. And so when I talk about timely and fully funding, that is critical to get back to strategic readiness.”
Also testifying before the Armed Services Committee last week, General Robert Magnus, the Assistant Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, stated, “Until we receive those [supplemental] funds, the Navy and [the Marines] cannot put under contract for this nation's industry to build the aircraft that we need, the ground combat vehicles and equipment that we need, in addition to the personnel and operations and maintenance expenses that are needed. Our systems command is ready to contract with American industry now, and these are all lead-time away from delivering some of these systems.”
Even with this testimony, Democrat leaders have continued to withhold more than $102 billion from America’s warfighters. The text of the Saxton-Forbes resolution follows:
“Regarding the readiness of the Armed Forces of the United States, and the implications for national security.
“Whereas in order to meet ongoing operational demands, members of the Armed Forces of the United States face multiple deployments, extended combat tours, and a limited time at home, which create stress and strain on the service members and their families;
“Whereas the high operational tempo of combat operations overseas has decreased the useful life of ground and aviation equipment;
“Whereas the destruction or damage of equipment in battle results in equipment inventory depletion;
“Whereas the readiness of the military is critical to the national security interest of the United States, its citizens, and the integrity of the entire military force;
“Whereas section 8, article 1, of the Constitution empowers the Congress ‘To raise and support Armies’ and ‘To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces’:
“Now, therefore, be it;
“Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that because readiness shortfalls exist within the Armed Forces of the United States, thus increasing risk to the national security of the United States, Congress should immediately act to pass a clean fiscal year 2008 global war on terror supplemental in the interest of national security and to ensure the integrity of the entire military force.”
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