Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates has urged lawmakers balance the national budget and noted his belief that sequestration has negatively impacted national security and military readiness, Military Times reported Thursday.
Joe Gould writes that Gates, who was addressing an SAP NS2-hosted national security forum this week, wished Congress would work toward a compromise because he said it was the âonly wayâ to get things done.
âWhen we must cut the most important things we do at the same rate as the dumbest, bad things result,â Gates said.
âCongress has forced the Pentagon to the worst of all positions, first deeply cutting the budget and refusing to make the compromises to restore funding, and then preventing the Defense Department from implementing the reforms and reductions in overhead cost,â he added.
Gates noted the military servicesâ need to be versatile than ever before and cited the U.S. and its alliesâ continued campaigns against terror and planned pivot to Asia.
This should include investments in equipment and technology that would ensure the security of cyber networks and space assets and benefit all ground, sea and air forces, Gould quoted the former defense chief as saying.