DoD chiefs taken to task on readiness complaints

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee chided the military's service chiefs Tuesday for failing to warn Congress about morale and readiness problems in time to adjust the fiscal 1999 defense authorization bill.

"This readiness crisis didn't come out of nowhere," Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H. said at the hearing on the military's ability to successfully execute military strategy. "You and your predecessors presided over it."

"I'm frustrated. I wish we'd heard this earlier," said Sen. Dirk Kempthorne, R-Idaho.

General Henry H. Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, insisted that he had not intentionally misled Congress. He said he believed that despite warning signs of decreased readiness, the military could contain the damage.

In February, Shelton described the forces as "fundamentally healthy." Yesterday, he said they "are showing increasing signs of serious wear. Our current readiness is fraying and the long-term health of the total force is in jeopardy."

Shelton attributed the decline to an increase in overseas operations. He also said that the continued strength of the economy was hurting the military's recruitment and retention efforts.

Without an additional budget boost of $17.5 billion a year, Shelton said, the military will take a "nosedive" and suffer irreparable damage.

The Pentagon estimates that just closing the gap between military and civilian pay would cost between $35 billion and $45 billion over the next five years.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., noted that in next year's defense bill, Congress reduced the administration's request for operations and maintenance funding by $350 million.