One of the nation's most decorated veterans on Tuesday charged that President Obama is destroying military strength and morale by refusing to negotiate changes to the sequester with Republicans.
Retired Army Major Gen. Patrick Brady, a 1968 Medal of Honor recipient for his heroics as a Vietnam War helicopter ambulance pilot, told Secrets that military officials tell him that the sequester is viewed as a deliberate White House bid to draw down the military and pull the Pentagon out of the international field.
"It is deliberate and designed to take us out of the international arena and any efforts to enlist our leadership," said Brady, a former chief of Army public affairs who received his Medal of Honor for using three copters to airlift 51 wounded soldiers from multiple battlefields on one day during Vietnam.
"My understanding is that Obama not only initiated sequestration, he threatened any effort to change it," said Brady. "He will cause a complete redo of our entire strategy." The Washington Post's Bob Woodward has reported that the sequestration strategy was hatched in the White House.
The Pentagon has warned that the automatic cuts set to begin March 1 under sequestration will undermine its effectiveness.
In a recent OpEd, Brady wrote, "Sequestration, designed by President Obama, will, if allowed to kick in, emasculate what is left of our military. Aside from the cruel impact these budget cuts will have on military careers and families, they are perfectly suited to Obama's isolationist goals. He is a rhetorical celebrity dedicated to social issues, i.e. same-sex marriage, gun control and government running just about everything. He is also a man intimidated by crises and the decisions they require. He is a voting-present leader, and we are learning he was not even present to lead during the massacre at Benghazi. He apparently hid out during the entire event and tried to blame it on a video. What would he do during a major 9/11-type crisis? An insignificant military takes us off the world stage and requires only voting present in future crises, which perfectly suits our present leadership. We can only pray there will be no such crises."
