James Mattis: The Biggest Threat to the Military Is Not on the Battlefield, It’s in Washington

by Sierra Marlee | June 20, 2017 6:56 pm

If you were to ask the average person what they thought the biggest threat to the United States military is, they’d probably tell you that it’s ISIS or some similar terror organization. And in one way, they might be right.

But Secretary of Defense James “Mad Dog” Mattis asserts that nothing on the battlefield is as dangerous to the U.S. military as what is going on in Washington D.C.

[1]

Mattis claimed that he was shocked to learn that the effectiveness of the military was in a dismal state, and said that[2] the only thing to blame was Congress.

“I returned to the Department, and I have been shocked by what I’ve seen about our readiness to fight. While nothing can compare to the heartache caused by the loss of our troops during these wars, no enemy in the field has done more to harm the combat readiness of our military than sequestration.”

But he didn’t stop there. The claws were out and he was not about to back down, letting Congress know that their actions and threats are having a real impact on our military’s ability to wage the war on terror.

“And yet, for four years our military has been subject to or threatened by automatic, across-the-board cuts as a result of sequester — a mechanism meant to be so injurious to the military it would never go into effect. In addition, during nine of the past 10 years, Congress has enacted 30 separate Continuing Resolutions to fund the Department of Defense, thus inhibiting our readiness and adaptation to new challenges.”

If there’s anyone who knows about the goings on of the military, it would be the good General. Now that we have a Republican majority, it should be easier than ever to give our men and women everything they need to be the best, more effective fighters they can be.

H/T: IJ Review[3]