Joint Chiefs: $40 billion spending cuts this fall to hamper recruitment, retention

Leo Shane, Navy Times, Jan 28

The Joint Chiefs emphasized a potential casualty if lawmakers don't fix the budget issue in coming months: troops' trust.
"As they see we're not going to invest in them, [our soldiers] begin to lose faith," said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno. "Sometimes we take for granted the level of ability of our people, and the level of investment we've made in their training, which is central to everything we do. With sequestration, we are going to have to reduce that for sure."
All four service leaders said they expect to see major retention and recruiting problems in coming years if the sequestration cuts scheduled to start this fall go into effect. 
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh hinted that military pilots could be poached by private airlines as their training flight hours are reduced. 
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert predicted fewer ships, submarines and interested sailors.
 Under rules passed by Congress in 2011, defense spending is scheduled to be slashed by about $40 billion in fiscal 2016 unless lawmakers can amend the 3-year-old Budget Control Act.