The slow death of the military

This is an election year, and we will continue to hear all types of promises from the candidates. They will tell us how they will deploy U.S. forces to meet armed military and insurgent attackers. Typically they will make these promises and never explain how this will be done. Their promises will simply ignore some facts.

For example, the U.S. military has not recovered from the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq, and there are shortages of vehicles, aircraft and maritime forces. Repair parts are not available and troops are cannibalizing damaged vehicles. According to a military.com article by Richard Sisk on March 17, Sen. John McCain said the military has "cut 24 Blackhawk helicopters, 50 F-35 joint strike fighters, five Navy cruisers and 77 Marine Corps joint light tactical vehicles while also trimming $1.3 billion in military construction and family housing."

Out of 276 F/A18 Hornet fighters in the Marine Corps inventory only about 30 percent are ready to fly, and only 42 of 147 heavy-lift CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters are airworthy. There is not enough room here to list all the deficiencies facing the military. Current active threats include ISIS, Russia and North Korea, while our elected representatives have let our defenses wither. The budget battles between the White House and Congress have moved from simple politics to actions that threaten our troops and our nation. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have always carried out the missions they were given with honor. Threatening to send them into combat when they have not been armed and equipped for the job is a disgrace.

Do not blindly blame one party or the other. This situation, which places the nation and our troops at risk, is the shared responsibility of all those who fund the military. It is our responsibility to elect representatives who will give the military the tools they need to complete their missions.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.