Top U.S. Army General: Government Shutdown Hurting U.S. Army

U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno (L) and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel listen as President Barack Obama (R) speaks to the media after a meeting on sexual assault in the military at the White House in Washington May 16, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

Government Shutdown Hurting U.S. Army: General -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The U.S. Army's chief of staff said on Wednesday the government shutdown was significantly harming the army's day-to-day operations and he urged a rapid resolution to the funding row.

General Ray Odierno said the shutdown "impacts significantly day-to-day operations", forcing the military to cut training and travel and to focus on essential tasks.

"The longer it goes on, the worse it gets. Every day that goes by, we are losing manpower, we are losing capability, so in my mind it is important we get this resolved," he told Reuters in a telephone interview from Germany, where he was attending a conference.

A stand-off between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans has pushed hundreds of thousands of federal employees into unpaid leave.

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Update #1: Shutdown 'Hits Army's Day-To-Day Operations' -- SKY news
Update #2: Odierno: Short-term budget fix might end furloughs, but hurts planning -- Stars and Stripes

My Comment: I suspect that the same can be said about the Air Force, Navy, and Marines.