Sequestration’s Unforeseen Effects

If sequestration, as outlined in the Budget Control Act, goes into effect it could cause irreversible harm to the US military and the defense industrial base, said each of the service chiefs during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday. Anything beyond the anticipated $450 billion cuts, would have a detrimental effect on all of the Air Force’s investment accounts, including the new KC-46 tanker, the F-35 strike fighter, remotely piloted aircraft, and the future long-range strike bomber, said Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. It would “raid our operations and maintenance accounts, forcing the curtailment of important daily operations and sustainment efforts,” said Schwartz. And, it would ensure the oldest fleet in the Air Force’s history would continue to age, creating “adverse effects on training and readiness, which has been in decline since 2003,” added Schwartz. Not to mention “other second and third order effects, some of them currently unforeseen, that will surely diminish the effectiveness and the well being of our airmen and their families,” he testified. “Ultimately, such a scenario gravely undermines our ability to protect the nation.” (Schwartz written testimony)