GOP Report on Armed Services Finds U.S. Readiness Sagging

U.S. military readiness is sagging across all the armed services, according to a new Republican assessment.

The report, released Sunday, found Army tank crews forced to pretend they were driving their tanks during training exercises, tank commanders put in the field before they had trained with their platoons and Air Force crews in Europe badly overextended by missions over Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iraq.

The report, by Rep. Floyd Spence (R-S.C.), also said 28 Marine and Navy tactical air squadrons were forced to ground half their planes in September, and it found a decline in readiness ratings for ships in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets.

Spence, who is set to become chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, disputed Clinton Administration claims that below-par military preparedness has turned up only in isolated instances.

The 15-page report signals that congressional Republicans aren’t ready to accept President Clinton’s assurances that the readiness problem is under control. It also signals that Republicans are dissatisfied with Clinton’s proposal last week to pump $25 billion more into defense spending over the next six years.

Administration officials said unexpected overseas actions in Haiti, Cuba and the Persian Gulf late in the fiscal year sapped training funds for backup units.