The Debt Ceiling Crisis: Impending Catastrophe for the US Military and Aid to Ukraine

Amidst the Pentagon’s warnings, the US military is facing about 3 crises imposed by the differences between the Republican and Democratic parties over raising the national debt ceiling and aid to Ukraine.

According to experts who spoke to Sky News Arabia, the US government’s failure to pay its debts, set at $31.4 trillion, could lead to a reduction in military spending, failure to pay the salaries of US military personnel, and the cessation of aid to Kiev.

Pentagon warnings

The White House is calling on Congress to raise the ceiling without any restrictions, but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is linking the move to budget cuts.

For his part, the Chief of Staff of the US Navy, Admiral Michael Gilday, warned that Washington’s failure to pay debts would lead to catastrophic consequences for the US military.

Gilday said during a symposium of the Council on International Relations, on Tuesday, that:

• The government debt ceiling would have serious consequences for sailors, military personnel and their families
• A debt default could undermine the confidence of allies and international partners in the United States
• I think this could spell disaster for us

As for US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, he says that any possible default in payment carries serious risks to the reputation of the United States and its army in the world.

As Austin put it last week:

• Failure to pay carries great risks to America’s reputation
• Failure to honor the debt will directly affect the ability of the US military abroad and the civilians cooperating with it
• We will not be able to pay the collaborators properly and China will probably take advantage of this

Ukraine aid crisis

The American newspaper, The Hail, says that US support for Ukraine may stop due to the national debt ceiling discussions.

And the American newspaper added, on Wednesday, that military financing to Ukraine may be temporarily suspended indefinitely due to the debt ceiling crisis.

Lawmakers say delays stemming from the debt-ceiling impasse and the murky implications of an expected counterattack by Ukrainian forces on the Russians have stalled talks on the next tranche of US funding for Kiev.

For his part, US Representative Bill Keating said that continuing to fund Kiev will depend on its success in the counterattack, expressing his belief that Ukraine has “sufficient funds for the near future.”

US President Joe Biden announced during the G7 summit in Japan a new aid package to Ukraine estimated at $370 million.

This package is the 38th of the security assistance packages estimated at $36 billion since the beginning of the war in February 2022.

The United States also plans to announce a new $300 million military aid package for Ukraine, according to Reuters.

escape from conscription

The third crisis facing the US Army is the unwillingness of American youth to join the army.

To overcome this crisis, the army recently launched a training course for those wishing to enlist, according to Fox News.

Since last March, the Pentagon has been warning of the repercussions of this phenomenon, as US Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo stated that American youth:

• He does not want military service
• The number of people willing to enlist is the lowest it has been in 10 years
• Only 9 percent want to perform military service
• 75 percent of them know almost nothing about the army

And this May, Army Secretary Christine Formott renewed her warnings that the United States will need more than a year to solve the problem of recruit shortages, adding that:

• It will take more than a year to rectify the situation
• The current difficulties in attracting recruits are being gradually resolved
• The joining of 65 thousand recruits to the army this year will not be achieved

For his part, the American military expert, Peter Alex, says that the army is already facing a problem in recruiting for military service, citing the unwillingness of young people to volunteer for military service and “the epidemic, which is one of the main reasons for the lack of recruits.”

Regarding the debt ceiling crisis and its effects on the army, he added to Sky News Arabia that the United States’ failure to pay is not in the interest of the Republicans or Democrats, pointing out that: “An agreement will eventually be reached on this crisis, and the proposed budget will be approved.”

Alex stressed that defaulting on the debt and not raising the US budget will lead to a real catastrophe, not only on the global economic level, but also on the military level, because this will translate into Washington’s inability to pay the salaries of its army or help allies, led by Ukraine, pointing out that lawmakers allocated last December About $858 billion in funding for national defense, including programs to develop nuclear weapons and others for US national security and military aid.