Inhofe, Odierno Address Concerns About the Future of the Army at Senate Breakfast

Statement

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the co-chair of the Senate Army Caucus, today hosted multiple Senators and senior Army leaders during the spring Army Caucus Breakfast. The Senate Army Caucus is the Senate's primary forum for advocacy of land-power, and provides an opportunity to discuss the challenges Soldiers and their families are facing. Today's keynote speaker was Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the 38th Chief of Staff of the Army.

"Thanks to the discipline and skill of our soldiers that is coupled with the investments and innovation of previous generations, today's Army is the best in the world," said Inhofe. "The challenge is keeping it the best Army in the face of drastic cuts and reductions by the Obama administration. The reductions in end strength, our ability to reset and modernize our equipment, our training, and the pending cuts due to sequestration are all major concerns I have with the Army's future.

"After every major conflict we have reduced the size of the Army and we've got it wrong every single time. While Americans believe our men and women have the best equipment in the world, the truth is, they do not. We need to make the necessary investments to close the equipment gap while rebuilding after over a decade of war. As the budget gets squeezed by cuts, vital items like training are often the first to get hit, and we must not allow that to happen. Finally, if sequestration does take place, the Army could be forced to cut another 100,000 soldiers with training and equipment being adversely impacted as well."

During both the keynote speech and the question and answer period, General Odierno echoed the concerns voiced by Senator Inhofe and advocated for continued support of the U.S. Army.

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