Dempsey Calls for Budget Increase, Flexibility

By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2014 - The American military is being asked to do more in an increasingly volatile world and Congress needs to increase its budget and give the department spending flexibility, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

"I have run out of adjectives to describe" what the budget uncertainty and lack of flexibility is doing to the United States military, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told journalist Kevin Baron at the Defense One Summit here.

The military needs more money because there are new requirements reassurance to Europe, operations in Iraq and Syria as well as support for stopping Ebola in West Africa. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's nuclear posture review also has costs, Dempsey noted.

Dempsey also said it's imperative that the department bring down its manpower and overhead costs, including slowing the growth of military pay and benefits and health care, retiring unneeded weapons systems and ships, as well as looking into a new base realignment and closure commission. "To make the military sustainable, you have to wring it out and make it as efficient as you can."

Finally, Congress has got to "de-trigger" sequestration.

"I'll accept some of the responsibility for failing on two counts," Dempsey said. "I've been the chairman for three years. In my first year or two ... we would go over to Capitol Hill and try to articulate risk what risk are we taking because of our inability to build sustainable budgets over time.

"I swung and missed," he said. "Nobody really took notice."

Last year, the chairman instead emphasized readiness. And again, he said, he swung and missed. "I have to adapt my narrative to explain to the American people why they should be concerned," Dempsey said.

The American military "is incredible," he said. "The American people expect that of us. And so we need to do everything we can internally to stay incredible and we need to make sure we get some help."