Political Dysfunction Undermines US Forces, Pentagon’s No. 2 Says
- Administration not planning to reprogram funds for Ukraine yet
- Hicks says budgeting uncertainty erodes military readiness
Kathleen Hicks
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The Pentagon’s No. 2 official said that the threat of a government shutdown and other internal upheaval in Washington threatens US military readiness and its ability to support Ukraine.
“With uncertainty at every turn, we know Russia and the People’s Republic of China aren’t slowing down to let us get our house in order,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks told Bloomberg reporters on Thursday. “We need to move with speed and confidence in order to meet the threats and the security needs that we have.”