Professional Arms (Budget Breaking Point)
The army faces a devastating $ 18 billion shortage following the action by Congress to reduce the nation’s deficit. This shortage would limit the execution of training and procurement of equipment by the army in the process of executing their duties towards the realization of the mission and objectives. This action by the congress would lead to severe consequences unless retraction of the move. A senior army officer offers valuable illustration on a number of consequences that would follow in relation to action by the Congress.
One of the negative effects of this action is the limitation of the brigade combat teams in meeting the needs and requirements of combatant commanders. This will lead to the cancellation of the train center rotations and joint exercises by the army. The action will also reduce the operations of the aircrews through limiting sufficient flight hours relevant for the purposes of proficiency and qualifications. This will contribute to the reduction of the size of the flight school with approximately 500 students.
The action by the congress will also reduce the level of unit-equipment thus only providing adequate resources to the units focusing on Korea, Afghanistan, and global response force combat team. There will be limitations in the context of effectiveness and efficiency in relation to the aspect of most soldiers reporting to the units with minimal or lack of training. Approximately 4,000 million intelligence soldiers will suffer from this consequence following the action by Congress to reduce spending on the army. Another essential and delicate consequence is the cancellation of the artillery training courses without reducing or diminishing the number of soldiers taking the course.
This will contribute to the increase in inefficiency in service delivery by the army. There will also be negative influences on the concept of promotion and assignment delegation within the ranks. This is because of the decrease in the concept of professional military education thus creating the gap between the trained and untrained soldiers within the camps. The program will also see the devastation in relation to termination of funding to the soldiers and their families thus limitation to the installation services.
These consequences indicate that the army is having trouble in trying to achieve its mission and objectives in enhancing the security of the nation and the citizens. According to the report offered by a senior army official, the army and its components are putting extra efforts in executing their obligations within the context of the budget constraints following the move by Congress to initiate that reduction of the deficit. The official illustrates that the leaders of the army are doing their best in order to avert the situation thus enhance the performance of the army in relation to the realization of the goals and objectives.
This follows the organized meeting under the influence of the service chiefs with the aim of making the case concerning the consequences of the move. The senior official notes that the greatest threat to the national security is the concept of uncertainty surrounding the financial resources. According to the evaluation by Ray Odeirno, Army Chief of Staff General, the situation surrounding the army is extremely critical and serious. It demands integration of legislative solution with the aim of averting the situation thus enhancing the opportunity for preparedness in relation to future events on matters of security. He notes that lack of legislative solution to the problem would result in the development or creation of a hollow force within the army incapable of handling the mission and relevant expectations.
According to the information by one lawmaker to the Army Time, the valid argument in relation to action by the Congress is ignored. This is because slight majority of the Congress view defense department as an appropriate location of hefty cuts in order to save massive financial resources. The aspect of the Congress in reducing the deficit focuses on the inclusion of three funding cuts. The first aspect is the resolution continuation by the Congress. This will force the army to operate on its 2012 fiscal budget resulting into a reduction of about $ 6.1 billion in relation to the operations and maintenance fiscal requirements.
The second aspect is the concept of sequestration, which has the ability to cut the operations and maintenance funds by approximately 5.3 billion dollars. The last aspect is the need for the army to cover approximately $ 7 billion in the context of emerging operations. According to the information by the senior army official, when it comes to cutting of the money, the army would have no opportunity to touch the combat operations, preparedness schedule, and family programs. According to the officer, these contribute to about 43 percent of the annual operations and maintenance budget.
The remaining aspects consist of readiness in the current and future instances. Raymond Chandler, Senior Major of the Army, chooses to view the situation as an opportunity rather than a challenge in the realization of the goals and objectives by the army. He illustrates that the situation offers the opportunity for the empowerment of the junior officers within the army towards maximization of their output to the society. He also indicates that the army would adopt an effective foundation to guide its readiness following completion of the budgetary issues. He also notes on the needs for the soldiers to execute their expectations and functions effectively despite the challenges. Raymond concludes that he has absolute confidence in the contingents within the army to achieve any of their missions despite the adverse condition.
