Service chiefs urge lawmakers to avoid return of budget caps

WASHINGTON (AP) — The four-star officers responsible for training and equipping the U.S. military delivered a stark warning to Congress on Thursday, telling lawmakers that a looming budget crisis heightens the risk of sending unprepared troops into combat and increasing the number of American casualties in a conflict with a well-equipped enemy.

Gen. Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, evoked examples from wars past to warn members of the Senate Armed Services Committee of the dangers of not giving American fighting forces all they need to win quickly and decisively.

An agreement last year involving Republicans and Democrats provided temporary relief from sequestration, but the limits return in the 2018 budget year and would force defense budgets to levels far lower than the Pentagon says are prudent.

John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said the Navy faces a "triple whammy" that stems from tighter budgets, increased operational demands and persistent uncertainty about future money.

The House has voted to boost the defense budget in 2017 by shifting $18 billion in emergency wartime spending to replace aging gear with new ships, jet fighters, helicopters and more.

[...] Defense Secretary Ash Carter has criticized the House plan as a "road to nowhere" that actually degrades combat readiness by retaining troops and buying equipment that can't be sustained without the certainty of future increases, effectively creating a hollowed out force.