Key Dem criticizes reversal of troop cuts

A key Democrat is raising concerns about plans to reverse Army troop cuts and mandate a higher raise than requested by the Pentagon.

Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) said those steps could negatively affect the military’s readiness.

{mosads}“Although, Mr. Chairman, I certainly support continued pay raises for our services members, I am concerned that by increasing them above the requested amount, we are taking funds from other critical priorities, including readiness,” Davis said at the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee markup of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.

Davis, the subcommittee’s ranking Democrat, later added: “By requiring this number of soldiers without providing the money or support to pay for it, the subcommittee is offering an unfunded mandate that would result in a larger, but more hollow, force.”

Despite Davis’s remarks, the subcommittee’s portion of the bill reversing troop cuts was passed as is by voice vote and sent to the full committee for its markup next week.

The Army would get the biggest bump, going from 475,000 authorized active duty personnel in 2016 to 480,000 in 2017. That’s also 20,000 more than the Pentagon requested for 2017.

Defense hawks argue the planned cuts don’t take into account recent world events such as the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Army leaders have given similar warnings as Davis, saying mandating more troops without providing more funding would cut into money for other needs.

“The world is, indeed has become, very dangerous in many places, and the pace combat operations most likely will not diminish in the near future,” Davis said. “In light of these dangers, I do not disagree that the Army may need more soldiers. But the Army has not yet provided us with a requested number, nor have they told Congress how they can create the appropriate force structure to use the additional soldiers.”

Reversing troop cuts in 2017 could also have detrimental effects in 2018, she added, if sequestration isn’t reversed.

The bill calls for a 2.1 percent pay raise for troops. The administration had requested a 1.6 percent raise.

The half-percent difference would give someone with the rank of E-4 an additional $11 per month, Davis said. That adds up to $330 million for the whole Pentagon. That money could instead be used, for example, to purchase parts for Marine aircraft, she said.

“When I speak to our sailors and Marines, the message is very clear from them: The lack of these parts creates service morale problem,” Davis said.

Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.), chairman of the subcommittee, said money for both the pay raise and troop level will be offset in the full committee markup when it is released next week and that readiness will not be negatively effected.

“The Army has said the continued drawdown is putting too much of a strain on forces and families,” he said.

The higher-than-requested pay raise is important, he added, to compete with the private sector.

Annual pay raises for troops are already set by law, but the president can choose to lower the amount of the raise.

“For the last three years, the pay raise that they have received has been less than what was fully authorized by law,” Heck said. “We felt that at this point in time it was important to show them they should get the full pay raise as authorized.”