The Patriot Post® · U.S. Military Combat Readiness Crisis

China has been steadily developing and expanding its military capabilities. Its coast guard fleet is now bigger than those of Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines combined, and it has continued to expand, having increased by over 25% since 2012. China’s focus is not merely on protecting its own territorial waters, but on expanding the capacity of its navy to meet strategic objectives on a global scale. If China’s aggressive naval expansion isn’t concerning enough, its building of man-made islands in an attempt to claim exclusive territorial rights across much of the South China Sea should be. On Tuesday, an international court ruled that Chinese actions were in violation of established international maritime law; China’s response? It considered the ruling “null and void” with no “binding force.”

With the NATO summit this past week, one of the primary concerns being discussed was continued Russian aggression. Not since the end of the Cold War have European nations become this alarmed at the steadily growing threat of Russia. It has been two years since Russia annexed Crimea and backed the separatist revolt in eastern Ukraine, with little done to counter Russia’s actions.

At this time of growing threats from two of the world’s most developed and potent militaries, the U.S. finds its own military combat readiness in a state of crisis — largely thanks to Barack Obama. Recently, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry stated that this lack of combat readiness is primarily the result of “budget cuts coupled with deployment, at a pace and a number that have not really declined very much.” Thornberry mentioned several disconcerting statistics regarding the lack of combat readiness and one in particular that helped to puts this crisis into perspective. He stated, “Less than half of the Air Force combat forces are ready to face a peer competitor such as China and Russia.” The other branches don’t fare much better. Each one faces severe budget, personnel and equipment challenges to overall readiness. But at least the transgendered few can serve openly.