House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) maintains the nation’s military needs to be rebuilt.
“Almost a decade under the Obama administration, during which the military was simply not a top priority, left major gaps in the readiness of our Armed Forces,” Ryan said. “Funding for modernizing the Army was cut in half during the Obama years. Navy sailors are overworked, putting in 100-hour work weeks. Less than half of their aircraft are ready to fly. Roughly 80 percent of Marine Corps aviation units lack the minimum number of ready basic aircraft and the Air Force is now at its smallest size in our nation’s history.”
Ryan said the readiness gaps are dangerous for service members, noting in 2017 the nation lost 80 lives due to training accidents, representing nearly four times as many killed in combat.
“We need a stronger military that is capable of stopping our enemies in a 21st-century world,” Ryan said. “The good news is that we have the chance to do that with forthcoming appropriations legislation for FY2018. This is critical legislation that will finally rebuild the military, give our men and women in uniform the resources they need and set the United States on a path toward a safer, stronger America.”