(ConservativeFreePress.com) – Pentagon spokesperson Chris Sherwood noted in an email that if the U.S. government shuts down then this could delay shipments of weapons to Ukraine and the provision of military training of its forces.
The Congress has until September 30 to fund the government for the following fiscal year (2024). If they do not manage to pass either a short- or long-term plan then the government could end up shutting down. In the case of a shutdown, the Department of Defense would need to implement furloughs as well as suspend all activities that are considered nonessential. As Sherwood noted in his emailed statement this could halt the provision of training, military education and defense articles and services.
Secretary of State for Regional Security deputy assistant Mira Resnick had previously informed a House panel that she was not able to say exactly what would occur during a government shutdown, but that previously the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs had not been able to process licenses or military sales for partners unless it was an emergency. During the hearing on U.S. defense cooperation with Taiwan she had argued that this was something they wanted to avoid.
During the shutdown of the government in 2018, the training for reserve troops and the National Guard was canceled, however the U.S. forces had continued their operations against terrorists in the Middle East.
Last week, the Defense Department issued a guidance which noted that all required training and military exercises that are crucial to the country’s operational readiness would be exempt in the case of a shutdown.
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