WASHINGTON — When it comes to Navy ships, planes, and the preparedness of the troops, the Government Accountability Office paints a pretty grim portrait.
A new report this week states, "The Navy and Marine Corps are beginning to address the causes of their readiness decline, but recovery will take years."
At issue: years of inconsistent budgets from Congress, and reliance upon temporary Continuing Resolutions, causing maintenance delays that keep ships in dry docks or planes on the ground, reducing the availability of these forces for training and operations.
The problem dates back to the Budget Control Act of 2011, which imposed a practice known as sequestration which brought about arbitrary, 10 percent cuts across the Department of Defense.
"We do Continuing Resolutions, it wastes money," said Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Virginia, 1st District). "It also puts our military further and further behind because it creates uncertainty."
Wittman, who serves as ranking member of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, says the temporary funding mechanisms are bad for readiness and for the industrial base which supports the military.
"Citizens should be up in arms over Continuing Resolutions because they are an abdication of Congress' responsibility," he said.
In recent years, there have been the well-documented deadly mishaps involving the USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald. And as far as military aviation, accidents have killed 224 pilots or aircrew, destroyed 186 aircraft, and cost more than $11.6 billion just since 2013.
"Continuing Resolutions, the failure to pass a defense budget by the start of the fiscal year causes serious readiness problems," said retired Navy captain Joe Bouchard, who served as commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk. "The impact on readiness, the impact on the ability of the fleet to carry its national security mission is strongly, seriously impacted."