U.S. Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joins Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work in the Pentagon Briefing Room for a briefing on the President's Fiscal Year 2017 Defense budget, Feb. 9, 2016. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Sean Harp)
Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joins Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work for a Pentagon news conference on the president's fiscal year 2017 defense budget request, Feb. 9, 2016. DoD photo by Army Staff Sgt. Sean K. Harp (Photo by Staff Sgt. Sean Harp)
WASHINGTON —
The fiscal year 2017 defense budget request represents “the best possible balance of capacity, capability and readiness investments based upon the resources available,” the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.
At a Pentagon news conference, Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva said planners faced “the unenviable task” of addressing growing threats with constrained resources.
The security environment today is the most unpredictable he has seen in his 35 years of service, the general said. “Our dedicated soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have been battling terrorism around the globe for nearly 15 years,” he added. “The pervasive threat posed by violent extremist organizations has been and remains an immediate threat.”
Growing Challenges
But it is not the only threat, and the military has been involved in a protracted fight even as it went through sequestration and budget uncertainty, the vice chairman said. This has imposed a heavy cost on the military, he said, “degrading readiness, delaying modernization and decreasing our overall capacity.”
“And as you are well aware, the rest of the world has not remained stagnant during this time,” Selva said.
Russia and China pose growing challenges, the general said, as does North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technologies. Iran’s malign activities in the already unstable Middle East, he added, solidify that nation’s role as the world’s chief exporter of terrorism.
“This budget works to invest in capabilities needed to meet these growing challenges, while to the best extent possible, preserving force structure and advancing readiness,” the vice chairman said. Still, he added, the budget request reflects the hard choices made in the context of the security environment and economic constraints. “It does not leave much room for needed flexibility,” he said.
Selva said the department looks forward to working with Congress “to eventually get an approved budget which addresses the military readiness concerns of today, and provides for the investment and flexibility which allows us to continue to address our national security interests into the future.”