ICYMI: Inhofe Requests Honest Assessment From Military Leaders on State of Readiness

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), participated in a SASC hearing Thursday where, during his time of questioning witnesses, Gen. Mark Milley, chief of staff of the U.S. Army, warned that our nation's military would experience "significant risk" if faced with an additional contingency to our current operations against ISIL.

In the hearing, Inhofe asked for an honest assessment from the witnesses on the current state of our military.

While Gen. Milley said the Army's level of readiness and size can deal with the current day-to-day fight against terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, the risk to our national security and to the lives of our military will "significantly increase" if another contingency arises, noting China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran as potential threats.

"If two [contingencies] happen at the same time, I think it's high risk for the nation… But we have to be prepared for it," Milley said. "And, just one last comment, you know, everything -- what we want is to deter. Nobody wants to have any of these wars with near peer competitors, high grade powers.

"And the only thing more expensive than deterrence, is actually fighting a war. And the only thing more expensive than fighting a war, is fighting one and losing one. This stuff's expensive. We're expensive. We recognize that. But the bottom line is, it's an investment that is worth every nickel."

Click here for the full video Q&A between Inhofe and the witnesses.

Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations for the U.S. Navy, agreed with Gen. Milley and also noted that the Navy downsized to its current force structure of 308 ships "without consideration of the emerging threat of Russia, without considering the emergent threat of ISIS."

Inhofe released the following statement in reflection of the hearing, "Gen. Milley said it best: deterrence is worth the investment. And the only way to deter the growing threats emerging from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran is to rebuild our nation's military. Our national security and future generations of Americans cannot afford for a military that can only handle one contingency at a time. Having the strength to simultaneously confront two contingencies isn't a call for ongoing war; it's a call for ongoing peace because of the strength and leadership we exhibit to the world. The state of our military today has emboldened our enemies and our adversaries. It has also caused our allies to question our commitment. Gen. Milley's honest response to my question was one of the greatest calls I've recently heard in an Armed Services hearing for the rebuilding of our military."

The SASC hearing was titled "Long-term Budgetary Challenges Facing the Military Services and Innovative Solutions for Maintaining our Military Superiority." It included the following witnesses: Gen. Mark Milley, chief of staff of the U.S. Army; Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations to the U.S. Navy; Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps; and Gen. David Goldfein, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force. The full transcript of the hearing is available by clicking here.

Source