There is a word that has been appearing in the news lately with greater and greater frequency. That word is “sequestration”. It refers to an across the board cut to the Defense Department budget. The law, which was established by the Budget Control Act, will take effect on January 1, 2013 and will cut an additional $55 billion a year in expenditures for the next ten years. That would equate to an additional $550 billion in cuts in addition to the $487 billion already being implemented. Most leading experts in Department of Defense matters predict that these cuts will have disastrous consequences for our active duty personnel, veterans, and national security.
While our nation is in the midst of one of the most complex security environments in recent memory, sequestration would severely diminish our nation’s military capability. An additional 100,000 soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen will be separated from service. These reductions would result in:
Our smallest ground force since 1940,
A fleet of fewer than 230 ships, the smallest Navy since 1915, and
The smallest tactical fighter force in the history of the Air Force.
Precisely at the time when our nation is making dramatic advances in military technology, we are now faced with the prospect of both a reduced military presence and capability. Only Congress can act to reverse the provisions of the Budget Control Act, and I urge you to express your feelings to your elected representatives in the Senate and House of Representatives.