If Congress Can't Compromise, Then America Will Have A 'Hollow Army'

Automatic budget cuts that could hit on Mar. 1 have top military leadership scrambling, with Army General Ray Odierno warning that they will reduce the service to a "hollow Army."

While the U.S. military could benefit from cutting some fat, the blunt and sudden terms of sequestration have the Pentagon in a panic.

The cuts for 2013 total $85.4 billion, with $42.7 billion hitting defense spending, according to The Washington Post. The cuts will also affect communities and industries that support the military, demonstrating broader effects that the Army projects will result in serious job losses across the nation.

Congress will have to reach a deal soon to avert the sequester, with Democrats looking for a mix of tax increases and spending cuts and Republicans seeking a different package of spending cuts.

Combat training for soldiers is going to drop by 80 percent

Funds that keep the Army functioning and allows training are known as Operations & Maintenance, or O&M funds. According to Gen. Ray Odierno, there's a "mismatch of funds" due to the continuing resolution, and sequestration is going to make it much worse.

The current shortfall is $6 billion, with sequestration adding another $5.4 billion. That means the Army needs to direct much of its money at soldiers in Afghanistan and other forward-deployed areas and sacrifice training at home.

According to the Department of Defense, there will be an 80 percent drop in training, which will mean less time for soldiers at the shooting range, or participating in training exercises that often help them later in combat.

Forces in Afghanistan may be stuck there longer

The Pentagon is adamant about protecting funds for troops deployed to combat in Afghanistan, but the sequester could still hit them in another way.

"We're funding, totally, Afghanistan. We're going to fund, totally, Korea, and sustain the readiness level in Korea," Odierno said Tuesday at The Brookings Institution. "What that means is the rest of the forces that are now back in the United States will not be able to train."

Without crucial training, Odierno may have to keep troops overseas beyond their return date, which would have devastating effects on morale:

"I then have to send forces that aren't ready, or I have to extend forces that are already there," he said. "That'll be a decision I have to make as we get closer. We will continue to try to divert money so we do not have to extend people in Afghanistan."

Military health care will be slashed

Military leaders and the President have maintained that the troops' compensation will not be affected by sequestration, and that service men and women don't need to worry about getting their basic pay or housing allowances.

But the troops do need to keep on eye on their health care coverage. The Defense Health Program is one notable exception that is eligible for sequester, and is set to receive $3 billion in cuts unless Congress moves money from another account to cover the shortfall.

Budget cuts to the Defense Health Program could affect the military Tricare program, and medical research, including studies of post traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and infectious diseases. 

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