US Fleet readiness assessment concludes US Army not ready

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 May 2024 10:11

The vice chief of staff of the US Army has testified that the Army's operational readiness standard is at 90% but it currently lies at 80%.

US service members wait at the Pope Army Airfield before deploying to Europe at Fort Bragg, N.C. on February 3, 2024. (AFP)

The US Fleet readiness has fallen below acceptable levels due to a range of issues, including the ongoing supply of military hardware to Ukraine, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army General James Mingus said on Wednesday.

“Our fleet readiness currently is below the standards that we hold for ourselves, and part of that is a confluence of cascading of equipment from one unit to another, back to depot, some of it is equipment that we've given to Ukraine and the supply parts that have to go to Ukraine… It's been a host of things that have caused this,” Mingus testified to a Senate Armed Forces Committee on the readiness of the Joint Force.

The operational readiness standard is at 90%, but due mainly to the mentioned factors, it has currently hit 80%, the general added.

US using its own stockpiles for Ukraine

The United States has been the main and largest supplier of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, with a funding budget surpassing $170 billion since February 2022. This includes a funding bill passed last week, which includes $61 billion to Kiev in military aid and another $26.4 billion in aid to fund the Israeli war on Gaza.

Senior military officials and experts have consistently warned about the consequences of the US continuously supplying arms to Ukraine, especially since the US lacks the production capacity to replenish its weapons stockpile. This has forced the US Army to resort to using its own warehouses to provide aid, and in some cases, even accessing emergency arms and ammunition stockpiles located around the world.

Furthermore, this comes despite top generals admitting that Ukraine has no ability to win the war regardless of how much hardware it receives.

The Israeli war on Gaza and aggression on southern Lebanon exacerbated the depletion of US weapons and military equipment, with Washington setting up an air corridor to directly deliver arms to the occupation entity once the war on the Strip began.

A weak army

In its annual Index of US Military Strength report, the Heritage Foundation concluded in February that the US military currently "is at significant risk of not being able to defend America’s vital national interests with assurance."

Basing its evaluation on capability, capacity, and readiness, it rated the overall condition of the US military for the second consecutive year as "weak".

Unlike its key adversaries, mainly China, the current reality is that the United States is not a producer, the Washington-based think-tank said, linking it to bipartisan elites "deciding to export manufacturing capability overseas in exchange for cheap consumer goods."

Despite all the problems facing the army's readiness, White House officials continue to dissipate the US military's power in "never-ending wars" in West Asia (Middle East), the foundation said.