Inhofe in Politico: Shrinking Defense Dollars And Biofuels
Shrinking defense dollars and biofuels
By: Sen. Jim Inhofe, June 16, 2013
After nearly four months on the job, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel finds himself in an unenviable position. In the face of a global security environment that is as complex and dangerous as any time in recent history, he’s charged with overseeing a military teetering on an unprecedented fiscal precipice.
Sequestration has claimed $37 billion from the defense budget this year alone, and our forces are struggling with its impact on their combat readiness and capabilities. With no solution to sequestration in sight, an additional $52 billion in cuts is set to take effect next year. As these cuts continue to take a toll on our military, the secretary is engaged in a fierce debate with the Joint Chiefs to reassess the future of our military. As the secretary struggles to develop a new national security strategy to meet growing threats with a rapidly declining defense budget, there are no easy answers at the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama continues to gut military programs, capabilities and the readiness of our forces, leaving our commanders with a hollow force unable to provide the global security needs of the U.S. and our allies. He has cut more than 100,000 military personnel from the ranks, reduced the size of our naval fleet, cut hundreds of Air Force combat aircraft — and allowed sequestration to impose devastating cuts in the funds used to train our military units, repair equipment and recover the preparedness of our armed forces.
In addition, unforeseen costs associated with the president’s call for an accelerated withdrawal from Afghanistan have left the department billions of dollars short in vital warfighting funds. Rather than exhibit the leadership required of our commander in chief to ensure our brave men and women on the front lines receive the support they require, the president has ordered the secretary not to request emergency supplemental funding from Congress. Instead, the secretary is being forced by the administration to sacrifice other current defense priorities, leaving our combat forces in Afghanistan short nearly $4 billion and shortchanging other base defense accounts by $2.3 billion.