Defense Secretary James Mattis warned Congress Tuesday of the detrimental effects that a long-term continuing resolution (CR) would have on the military, CNN reports.
"Long-term CRs impact the readiness of our forces and their equipment at a time when security threats are extraordinarily high," Mattis wrote in a letter to leaders on congressional defense committees. "The longer the CR, the greater the consequences for our force."
President Donald Trump signed a three-month continuing resolution in part to fund relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey and to extend the debt ceiling. Although a CR does provide funding for the military, it prevents the military from establishing new programs and restricts how money is moved.
"Impacts begin immediately, within the first 30 days of a CR. By 90 days, the lost training is irrecoverable due to subsequent scheduled training events," Mattis wrote.
He added that with a 90-day CR, maintenance for 11 Navy ships will be delayed, and "the shipyards' capacity is not capable of 'catching up' lost work."
Mattis also wrote that a CR would blunt hiring and recruiting efforts, and that the Army would be unable to implement 18 new programs. A six-month CR would cause further problems, affecting 24 additional Army programs, six from the Air Force and seven Navy contracts.
The secretary suggests that Congress remove the budget caps set by the Budget Control Act passed in 2011.
"In the long term, it is the budget caps mandated in the Budget Control Act that impose the greater threat to the Department and to national security," Mattis wrote. "BCA-level funding reverses the gains we have made in readiness, and undermines our efforts to increase lethality and grow the force."
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