As the drama of the Continuing Resolution and the possibility of sequestration drag on into yet another month, it’s easy (and understandable) to become even more narrowly focused on our own nation’s economic difficulties. Every day we hear new reports of the deleterious effects on the armed forces’ combat capabilities should the impending budget cuts actually occur. The February cancellation of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) carrier strike group’s scheduled deployment was perhaps the most ominous sign of what might lie ahead for the U.S. Navy. While most of the headlines go to new programs that could be axed, we would do well to remember the hardest blows will fall on what’s already there: personnel, ships, aircraft, maintenance, and readiness.
