Opinion Pieces

Hoosiers across the state know this has been a particularly divisive political year. Republicans and Democrats have hotly debated everything from taxes to health care. When there is this much disagreement, it's easy to miss the occasions when bipartisan consensus is reached. One of those points of agreement concerns the state of America's military, and the funding needed to repair it.

As a naval reservist who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 and 2015, I read reports of America's declining military readiness with alarm. We have all prayed for the families of troops killed in training accidents this year, and their tragic deaths are just one piece of evidence that our military is struggling. In an increasingly dangerous world, with a range of growing threats from North Korea to ISIS, the fact that the Army has only five of 58 brigade combat teams ready to fight right now is both shocking and unacceptable.

The cause of this readiness crisis is clear. In the face of mounting threats and increasing operations, military budgets have been cut nearly 20 percent over the past six years. As a result, the Pentagon has been forced to stretch the life of important equipment instead of replacing it with newer, better and safer platforms. Training has been cut and infrastructure has crumbled, risking the security and safety of servicemen and -women.

Congress has achieved a bipartisan consensus on how to start rebuilding our military by authorizing a budget that increases the size of the services, speeds up repairs of fixable equipment and funds replacements for platforms that can no longer be repaired. Indiana will have an important role to play in restoring our military strength. Our plan to rebuild the force includes $100 million for new Humvees, built by AM General in northern Indiana. Indianapolis-based Rolls-Royce will be working hard to produce additional engines for the fifth-generation F-35 fighter. Businesses large and small across the state will be contributing to a variety of essential projects from components for the V-22 Osprey to protecting our troops with missile defense interceptors. All of this will bring hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars to Indiana while making America more safe and secure.

Even though we agree on the solution, work remains to put this plan into action. Earlier this year, the House passed a defense appropriations bill that fully funds our military.

Despite everyone agreeing that the Department of Defense urgently needs these funds, the Senate has yet to consider this bill.

As the most recently deployed member of Congress, I have witnessed our readiness crisis firsthand. Even the U.S. Navy reported the tragic ship collision last month in one word: avoidable.
There is no clearer evidence that it is Congress' duty to act, and securing this funding will help the military start making progress on the ongoing readiness crisis so many lives depend on.

Republican Jim Banks represents Indiana's 3rd District in the U.S. House.

http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/columns/20171222/plottingmilitarysrestorationto-readiness