The House Armed Services committee staff recently released an assessment of the impact of further cuts to military spending and the results are bleak.
Primary concerns include:
- A hollow force, akin to the Carter era, making defending freedom harder and more expensive in both blood and treasure.
- The all-volunteer military could become unsistainable.
- 200,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines would be out of work as well as hundreds of thousands of civilians. GDP could shrink by .34% and unemployment could rise to 10%.
House Armed Services Committee Republican Staff Budget Impact Executive Summary (PDF, 1 page, 98k)
FULL REPORT: Assessment of Impacts of Budget Cuts (PDF, 14 pages, 890k)
