McCaskill Warns of "dangerous, irresponsible' Republican Budget in Questions to Army Chief of Staff Nominee

Press Release

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today questioned General Mark Milley, the nominee to serve as the next Army Chief of Staff, on his views on the Republican budget which places almost $40 billion in military funding in an Overseas Contingency Fund, the critical need to address retaliation against military sexual assault survivors, and the important role of Missouri's Fort Leonard Wood in pioneering victim-centered sexual assault investigations.

McCaskill asked General Milley to respond to the Army's recent reductions in active duty personnel from 490,000 to 450,000, which includes cuts to 774 military positions at Missouri's Fort Leonard Wood, and the Republicans' proposed budget which does nothing to address further cuts to force levels.

"The frustrating part of this is the only difference between the commitment to put this $40 billion in the budget between my [Republican] friends and colleagues and us on this side of the aisle, is the willingness to acknowledge that we are spending the money," said McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. "It remains a great frustration to me and one that I'm hopeful we can work out so that we don't go down this path and create this precedent--that I think is very dangerous for the long-term stability of our military and your all's abilities to do your jobs….I just think it's a very, very irresponsible precedent."

Federal budget caps currently in place are set to force a further reduction in the Army's force to 420,000 over the coming few years. In order to avoid further shrinking the Army, McCaskill has persistently called on the Republican leaders in Congress to lift those "arbitrary" budget caps, so investments can be made to secure both the base defense budget and security needs at home such as the FBI, CIA, airport and port security, and cybersecurity.

Instead, Republican leaders are pursuing a strategy of pumping resources into the Pentagon's off-the-books war budget, known as the "Overseas Contingency Operations" fund. McCaskill has likened that move to a dishonest "slush fund" since that fund does not have to be off-set or paid-for, and cannot be used by military leaders to maintain force structure--meaning that even with those resources, the Army would be required to continue shrinking the force.

McCaskill also quizzed Milley on his commitment to implementing McCaskill's historic reforms to address military sexual assault as well as remaining challenges--including how to reduce retaliation against sexual assault survivors: "I wanted to mention…the incredible training that's going on at Fort Leonard Wood for the investigators of sexual assault. The expertise that's been developed at the Fort on this is unparalleled in terms of how you get after a sexual assault investigation particularly interviewing a victim. I would like your commitment to familiarize yourself with that training and a commitment that you will continue to fight for the adequate funding so that we can actually get these perpetrators behind bars."

Earlier this year, McCaskill met with Russell Strand, Chief of the Behavioral Sciences Education and Training Division of the Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood, to discuss his and the Fort's contributions to developing and disseminating the Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview technique.

A report released earlier this year, indicated victims of sexual assault continue to experience an increased confidence in the military justice system as McCaskill's series of reforms continue to take hold. The report details sexual assault programs, initiatives and policy enhancements from 2014, information about sexual assault reports made by and against servicemembers, and outcomes of allegations made in unrestricted reports.

Source