The Pentagon says the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration could leave the U.S. with a military that is simply unprepared for the most challenging combat missions. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told Congress in April that the military is eating its seed corn/.../
The problem right now is that Washington still looks at sequestration as a temporary problem. Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, says Congress and the military are banking on the chance that next year the budget will be back to normal.
"You may be willing to make a strategic choice and say, 'I will accept a lower level of readiness for some period of time just so that I have the option of turning back on that readiness quickly and having all of these aircraft and these pilots ready to go,' " Harrison says.
In other words, it could be better to ground a few pilots now, hoping you won't have to make permanent cuts, like having fewer pilots or fewer planes.
The Pentagon hopes to get limited relief soon by asking Congress for permission to shift money around in order to protect top priorities like flying time. But the long-term solution is a budget deal — which isn't even visible on the horizon.