Budget Cuts to Hurt Army Efforts in Final Stages of Afghan War

Well... Its not like drastic budget cuts to our defense apparatus would result in serious complications to our military's ability to wage war and support our ongoing missions in the War on Terror, or anything. Our men and women in the Armed Forces are always first on the minds of Washington bureaucrats, right?

Eh, apparently not - according to General Ray Odierno, Army Chief of Staff, in remarks he made Friday to the Bookings Institution.

The General stated the Army is currently facing a shortfall of as much as $8 billion to operate the last stages of the Afghanistan War, and could loose another $5.4 billion if scheduled budget cuts take effect at the end of the month. Meaning the Army will likely have to extend deployments for combat brigades currently in the war-torn nation, for brigades soon to be deployed there, and those brigades soon to be deployed might not be adequately trained if the funding is not there.

Oh... Shit.

Doesn't it just give you a big, warm, teddy bear like feeling to know our final two years of active combat in Afghanistan will either see troops with even longer deployments and fewer resources, or bad training going into a dangerous withdrawal situation on the ground. Well, I don't know about you, but it pisses me off.

I really don't care if we cut lunchtime for kids across the country, ok. They don't even like the freaking food! But when it comes to our men and women in uniform, serving us in one of the most hostile environments on earth, being forced to serve longer tours of duty, or enter combat unprepared because of Washington using them as a political budget gimmick, you're asking for a can of whoop ass on your useless bureaucratic ass.

Ugh... What say you?