Is the Pentagon Headed for a Military Readiness Crisis?

October 9, 2017 Topic: Security Region: Middle East Tags: MilitaryPentagonCongressWeaponsDefenseWar

Is the Pentagon Headed for a Military Readiness Crisis?

After nearly two continuous decades of war, the armed forces are under significant stress. But to exaggerate today’s problems as a “crisis” is risky.

Today’s military is indeed under some duress, and its people are working very hard, and their families are sacrificing a great deal. But the American armed forces are far from unready, and where they have problems, the defense establishment has many options that can allow more units and their associated personnel to get healthy without compromising American national security.

Michael O’Hanlon is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Image: A U.S. Marine with Combat Engineering Company, Combat Assault Battalion (CAB), 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force uses a radio Sept. 12, 2017, at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, during CAB Battalion Field Exercise 17.4. Flickr / U.S. Department of Defense

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