William Hartung : “A common refrain on Capitol Hill in recent months has been the need to increase Pentagon spending to address a readiness crisis caused by inadequate training and equipment. But few members of Congress have been willing to support simple budgetary changes that would help fix things.”  

“But first, let’s note that many recent statements by lawmakers have exaggerated the actual problem. As Gen. Paul Selva, Deputy Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in his response to claims that the U.S. military has been “gutted,” current funding levels have enabled to the United States to maintain “the most powerful military on the planet.”  

“To the extent that there are problems with training, maintenance, and other forms of support for troops at home and in the field, they can be addressed within current funding levels.”