HuffPost
Marine Corps Boss Slams Border Deployment As ‘Unacceptable Risk’ To Combat Readiness
The “unplanned/unbudgeted” deployment, as well as funding shifts for border security, has helped lead to the cancellation of military training in at least five countries, Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller wrote in two memos to Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
Trump plans to move about $6.1 billion from Pentagon coffers to pay for building the wall.
Neller’s memos, dated Feb. 19 and March 18, said money and manpower was also being drained by costs to repair bases and housing caused by hurricanes Florence and Michael, new housing allowances and civilian pay raises.
Neller called the demands “fiscal challenges without precedent.” He said “border funding transfers” have eliminated money that would have otherwise been used to address other shortfalls.
Because of the budgeting, Neller wrote that he has canceled training exercises in Scotland, Mongolia and Indonesia, and reduced participation in joint exercises with Australia and South Korea.
Trump has claimed the American military and a multibillion-dollar wall is needed at the southern border to stop an “invasion” of immigrants. But apprehensions of people illegally crossing the border peaked at 1.6 million 19 years ago, and have generally fallen since, to 400,000 last year.
Trump has ordered the deployment of some 6,000 troops from the National Guard, the Marines, Army, Navy and Air Force at the border until September.
Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said Trump has “ignored the facts, ignored the experts, and ignored a big bipartisan vote against his views on border security. I hope he doesn’t try to ignore this memo. Decorated senior military leaders are raising clear warning flags and trying to prevent our military from being damaged,” he added.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), vice chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee, said Thursday that Neller’s memos expose the danger of Trump’s unilateral decision to divert Pentagon money to build his border wall.
“When will the president wake up and put the U.S. military over his campaign promises?” Durbin asked in a statement. “If the president won’t listen to the American people or Congress, then listen to the commandant of the Marine Corps.”
Neller’s complaints come as the Pentagon is set to review more demands from the Department of Homeland Security.
There was no response from the White House about Neller’s memos.
Marines commandant protests US border deployments, wall
Washington (AFP) – America’s top marine warned that deployments to the US-Mexico border and President Donald Trump’s plan for a wall pose an “unacceptable risk” to the force, according to documents revealed Thursday by The Los Angeles Times.
In memos addressed to acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan and Navy secretary Richard Spencer, General Robert Neller wrote that he had been forced to cancel or reduce exercises in five countries.
Marines will miss exercises in Indonesia, Scotland and Mongolia, and their participation in joint exercises in Australia and South Korea will be reduced, Neller said in the documents dated March 18 and 19.
A Marine Corps spokesman confirmed the validity of the documents published by the LA Times.
Neller said Trump’s emergency declaration to secure $6.7 billion from the Pentagon’s 2019 budget for his wall meant the corps could not afford to rebuild hurricane-hit bases in North Carolina and Georgia.
“The hurricane season is only three months away… and we have Marines, Sailors, and civilians working in compromised structures,” Neller wrote.
“While (financial year 2019) was supposed to be a ‘good year’ given an ‘on-time’ enacted budget and topline, those positive attributes are now overcome by the negative factors… imposing unacceptable risk to Marine Corps combat readiness and solvency,” he added.
Shanahan has not yet released the funds claimed by the president.
“Monetarily, recovery for those areas affected by the hurricanes is by far the most significant budgetary pressure listed in the memo,” said Marines spokesman Captain Joseph Butterfield.