Sequester will hurt military, Hagel says

WASHINGTON — American military readiness starts deteriorating at midnight. Flights will be grounded. Ships will stay dockside. Army unit training will stop.

That’s the assessment of the top Pentagon officials in the wake of abrupt and deep budget cuts that will take effect Saturday.

Newly installed Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, at his first full news conference, said he had high hopes that President Barack Obama and members of Congress would find a solution to their dispute over the federal budget before the reductions go too deep.

“This is the security of the United States of America we’re talking about,” Hagel said. “That is the highest order of any government, of any leader. We will do what is necessary and what it takes to assure that security.”

The budget cuts, known in Washington parlance as sequestration, mean an automatic reduction of $85 billion in programs across the board, including 10 percent — $48 billion — of the Defense Department’s budget, which will be applied during the last half of the budget year.

Hagel and Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said the cuts might damage the department.

The Navy will keep ships in dock, and scheduled maintenance will slow. Naval experts note that getting ships and sailors back up to speed after months of being idled won’t be quick. And since ship maintenance schedules are made years in advance, any disruption would cause ripples that might last for years.

The trims apply only to budget areas that haven’t been protected, so they won’t affect the costs of military personnel or funding for the war in Afghanistan. But Carter noted that they’ll fall even harder on the unprotected parts of the budget, and three areas in particular will take the biggest blows.

In the civilian workforce, part-time employees may face layoffs and full-time employees face an unpaid day off beginning at some point in April. Among contractors, new orders will be cut or delayed, meaning that fewer workers might be needed.

Military readiness is the third area, Hagel and Carter said, and they stressed that deterioration would speed up and become more of a concern with each passing week. While combat aircraft in Afghanistan and nuclear-capable planes will continue to fly, the Air Force will ground most U.S.-based training flights, according to military officials. This might lead to longer-term problems, as grounded pilots may lose the ratings that allow them to fly at all, and delay their return to the air.

As for the Marines, Pentagon officials said they “face significant cutbacks in training,” as does the Army.

Training at the military’s National Training Center in California will cease, and there are fears that if no deal is reached, soldiers will be reliving training methods from the 1970s, when a round of budget problems meant they went to firing ranges, pointed weapons and said “bang” because of a lack of bullets.

There are fears around the Pentagon that if no deal is made before the end of the fiscal year in September, the troops deployed to Afghanistan will have undergone less training, or those already deployed will have to stay longer.

Carter said that while there was some budget flexibility within each military branch, the cuts wouldn’t be without pain.

“This progressively builds over the coming months,” he said. “It really constitutes a serious problem. … The readiness crisis is very real.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.