Not Another Continuing Resolution, Say Goldfein and Disbrow

Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein and Acting Secretary of the Air Force Lisa Disbrow published an op-ed on the Defense One website Monday pleading with Congress to pass a full defense appropriation instead of another continuing resolution. The current CR ends on April 28, and it is possible that Congress would simply pass another continuing resolution to fund the federal government, including the Department of Defense, until the end of the fiscal year. Goldfein and Disbrow wrote that doing so “would reverse our on-going efforts to restore Air Force readiness and modernize to meet rapidly evolving global threats.” There is growing consensus among lawmakers and DOD leadership that the defense budget process itself is broken, and the proliferation of CRs prevents necessary long-term military planning. Goldfein and Disbrow agree, warning that “our competitive advantage against highly-capable adversaries is increasingly at risk” because of continued budgetary instability. Already, they wrote, “our Air Force is the smallest, oldest, and busiest it has ever been.” Another CR, they insist, would force the service to cut flying hours, defer needed maintenance, and slow the planned growth of the force to 317,000. “We need a defense appropriation to help restore US Air Force readiness levels and build force capacity and capabilities to counter emerging threats,” they wrote.