Joint Chiefs: Sequester Cuts Will Return Military to Carter-Era Strength

The U.S. military is warning that sequester cuts will reduce our armed forces to a state they haven’t been since Jimmy Carter was president. 

In memos sent to Congress, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) warned that, “Army brigades won’t be ready to fight[,] Navy aircraft carriers won’t be deployed[,] and the Air Force won’t be able to operate radar surveillance 24 hours a day.”

On Feb. 12th, JCS members will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee concerning the pending cuts. 

In anticipation of sequester, the Navy is already giving us a glimpse of how they will operate once the cuts take effect. 

For instance, last month they canceled “the $3.3 billion overhaul and refueling of the nuclear-powered carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.” This followed news that they reduced carrier groups in the Persian Gulf from two to one by canceling the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman strike group’s departure to the Middle East.

As Defense analyst Frank Gaffney observes: “Long before the full impact of sequestration is felt, the hollowing out of the U.S. military is under way.”