[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14864-14865]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           MILITARY READINESS

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the 
House for 5 minutes.

[[Page 14865]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from 
Missouri is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I want to contrast two statements for you 
to set the stage on what we are dealing with regarding the United 
States Army.
  ``Help is on the way.'' That is what President Bush said to our 
military during the 2000 campaign when they were in pretty good shape.
  And ``No.'' That is what General Schoomaker, the chief of staff of 
the Army, answered when I asked him if he was comfortable with the 
readiness levels of the nondeployed Army units here in the United 
States.
  Let me put it in very clear terms. Our Army is in a crisis. Our 
forces are fighting valiantly in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the strain 
of that continued effort has put our preparedness to deter or to fight 
somewhere else, if we must, at strategic risk. The crises in North 
Korea, Iran, the Middle East, show how quickly things can change and 
how they can go wrong. We must be prepared. And right now the Army is 
not.
  President Bush, during the 2000 campaign, strongly criticized the 
Clinton administration because two divisions were below their 
appropriate readiness ratings. He said, ``If called upon by the 
Commander in Chief today, two entire divisions of the Army would have 
to report `not ready for duty, sir.'''
  Today nearly every combat brigade located within the United States 
would report that they are not ready for duty. They are at the lowest 
levels of readiness.
  Most nondeployed units in the active Army are reporting that they are 
not able to complete the expected wartime missions. The exact numbers, 
of course, are classified. Army readiness for units not in Iraq has 
steadily declined and has fallen to levels that will limit our ability 
to project ground forces.
  Every nondeployed National Guard combat brigade in the Army is 
reported at the lowest level of readiness. Forty percent of the Army's 
ground equipment is deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The army has 
depleted its prepositioned overseas war stocks of equipment. The Army 
is so strapped for equipment, they are planning on downloading 
prepositioned ships loaded with combat equipment to help fill 
shortages.
  Mr. Speaker, the Army has lost over 1,000 wheeled vehicles, over 100 
armored vehicles, and 100 helicopters since the start of the war in 
Iraq.

                              {time}  1930

  Guard units in the U.S. are suffering severe equipment shortages 
which will affect their ability to respond to emergencies in their home 
States, such as Katrina.
  Equipment readiness is suffering as the priority for repair, parts 
and equipment is only toward the combat theater. The Army is now having 
a crisis funding its installations at home because of poor planning and 
the lack of support from the administration. The recent supplemental 
funding resolution increased the installation budgets by $722 million, 
but the Army is still short $530 million to meet minimum support levels 
through the remainder of the fiscal year.
  Each installation is being forced to find ways to cut their operating 
budgets. These cuts are affecting vital training and family support, 
which further degrades the Army's readiness posture.
  Over $290 billion has been spent in Iraq, with no end in sight. The 
Army requested more money in the recent supplemental, but the 
President's Office of Management and Budget cut $4.9 billion from the 
Army's request for the 2006 war supplemental before sending it over 
here to Congress.
  During the 2000 election, the current administration told our 
military, help is on the way. That is clearly not the case. The 
administration has failed to request the funds needed for the defense 
of this Nation. We must give the Army what it needs. The Army will need 
sustained funds, $17.5 billion this year alone, to start getting well. 
We cannot shortchange them. We must provide a new direction for the 
Army, with sustained equipment and manpower, so that we can project 
power to protect America, wherever and whenever necessary. That is 
exactly what we must be prepared to do.

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