Pentagon chief shocked’ by low level of US military readiness

Baku. 13 June. REPORT.AZ/ Pentagon chief James Mattis has declared Monday that he was "shocked" upon his return to the Pentagon by the poor state of the U.S. military's readiness for combat. Report informs citing the BBC, He put most of the blame on Congress for its inability to approve budgets on time or repeal a law that strictly limits defense spending.

“No enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of our military than sequestration.” Mattis was addressing lawmakers seeking additional information about President Donald Trump’s proposed 2018 budget.

“Four years later, I returned to the Department (of Defense), and I have been shocked by what I’ve seen about our readiness to fight,” he added.

According to him, to correct the situation, the US armed forces will need years of stable financing.