CRS Finds Tension Between Readiness Now and Future

Why It Matters

Congress requires the Department of Defense to regularly assess and report on military readiness, but a recent Congressional Research Service report highlights a fundamental disconnect between what the Pentagon is funding today and what statutes demand it measure. The FY2027 Budget proposes $190 billion in direct funding for joint force activities including aviation training, large-scale combat operations training, and equipment maintenance under a new "core readiness" concept that has no identified basis in statute or prior DOD issuances. This gap matters because Congress controls DOD's purse strings and can signal its readiness priorities by funding, or declining to fund, executive proposals and by directing expenditures to address threats members may identify differently from the administration.

The Big Picture

DOD is legally obligated to provide Congress with regular, structured readiness updates. The statutory framework requires the Secretary of Defense to establish a uniform reporting system measuring the military's ability to execute the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and National Military Strategy. The Secretary must submit Semi-annual Readiness Reports to Congress 30 days after the second and fourth quarters, while the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must submit the Joint Force Readiness Review 30 days after the first and third quarters of each calendar year; separately, the Secretary is also required to brief Congress on readiness changes 30 days after the first and third quarters.

The Pentagon defines military readiness as the ability of military forces to fight and meet the demands of assigned missions. But the department faces a strategic tension between building capability and proficiency for future crises while still meeting existing demands. According to a GAO March 2026 report, U.S. military readiness has been degraded over the last two decades due to a variety of challenges, including maintaining existing systems while acquiring new capabilities. The same report identified 12 persistent military readiness challenges.

DOD fulfills the requirements of 10 U.S.C. §117 through the Defense Readiness Reporting System (DRRS) and the Strategic Readiness Assessment (SRA). The Defense Readiness Reporting System consolidates readiness data from commanders across the services, allowing analysis of resourcing, training, and mission capability of units. The Strategic Readiness Assessment informs the Defense Planning Guidance. For major weapon systems, metrics and objectives address materiel availability, operational availability, operational capability, and materiel reliability.

The Bottom Line

The administration's proposed $190 billion core readiness funding has not been identified in statute or other DOD issuances. Congress may demonstrate the extent to which executive branch answers to readiness questions align with congressional views by providing funding, or not, for executive proposals and by directing expenditures to address threats Members may identify or prioritize differently from the Executive.

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