WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Any further reductions in the US defense budget will pressure the US Air Force to sacrifice its modernization programs and future readiness against near-peer adversaries for current military operations, Air Force officers told the US Senate Armed Services Committee.
"We’re grateful for the additional resources the Bipartisan Budget Act provides… However, even at these funding levels, we continue to face difficult choices between capacity, readiness and modernization," Acting Assistant Secretary for Air Force Acquisition Darlene Costello said on Tuesday.
The US defense budget has been subjected to mandatory budget caps known as sequestration under a 2011 law, which was lifted slightly in a bipartisan budget agreement in 2015.
Despite the additional funds, the US Air Force continues to face challenges meeting the "urgent needs for air, space and cyber forces" as well as recovering readiness levels "after 25 years of continuous combat," Costello explained.
"They are ready to do what we are asking them to do today, but they are not ready to cover all the requirements that they may be required to cover," Raymond stated.
Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans Lt. General James Holmes elaborated that the demands on the Air Force include combat operations in Syria, Iraq, and support for the mission in Afghanistan. In addition, US airmen are deployed to the Pacific to reassure allies, and have new responsibilities in Europe to address US and NATO concerns over Russia.
"Every time we [add another demand] it makes them less ready if they have to go fight a near-peer adversary, or a very capable adversary," Holmes pointed out.
The US Air Force is composed of over 20,000 airmen deployed worldwide, and 80,000 permanently stationed overseas.
In its 2017 budget proposal, the service requested a total of $166.9 billion, slightly more than a 2 percent increase over the 2016 funding.
