WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Army Secretary Mark Esper said after nearly two decades of war, his branch's gear is simply worn out.
"We cannot continue to live off vehicles that came in the Army when I came in in the 1980's, so it's that urgent," he said. "It's as simple as this. If we do not modernize the force now, we risk losing a future conflict against Russia or China. It's that simple."
The Defense Department's budget for 2020 could rise from the current $716 billion to somewhere between $733 billion and $750 billion.
But, the nation's service secretaries warned, there can be no Continuing Resolutions, no shutdowns, no sequestration. They said there must be a fixed dollar amount that their branches can rely on.
"The biggest thing we can provide right now is consistent funding to allow our partners in the private sector to spend the R&D dollars to provide the solutions that we need," said Navy Secretary Richard Spencer.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson concurred, noting that, "readiness is first and foremost."
"Having a budget on-time and an authorization bill on time has made a tremendous difference to the Air Force this year," she said. "We have to cost-effectively modernize the force, increase its capability and change the way we fight in order to implement the national defense strategy."
The secretaries spoke Friday before the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Trump administration expects to deliver its fiscal 2020 budget on March 12th.