Nov 22 2011
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“ Here is what the committee’s failure is expected to mean: The Navy is likely to mothball 60 ships, including two carrier battle groups — a possibility that led Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, the chief of naval operations, to testify that the cuts could “impact the fleet for 20 to 50 years.” The Air Force might have to give up one-third of its fighters and a quarter of its long-range bombers, calling into question our nuclear deterrent. The Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, testified that the Air Force “may not be able to overcome dire consequences.” And the Army is likely to have to give up nearly a third of its Army Maneuver Battalions — which is why the Army chief of staff, Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, has warned that the cuts would leave us with “an unacceptable level of strategic and operational risk.” The cuts would also decimate the Marine Corps, leaving it “below the end strength level that’s necessary to support even one major contingency,” the service’s commandant, Gen. James F. Amos, has warned.
