WASHINGTON - In the event of a federal government shutdown, the U.S. military is prepared to maintain active-duty troops and a select number of civilian defense personnel on duty, albeit without immediate pay, as Congress works towards a budget resolution, Stars and Stripes reported this week.

While the Defense Department has yet to provide a comprehensive plan for the potential shutdown, officials have outlined the possible scenario if Congress does not approve temporary funding before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

"The department will continue to defend the nation and conduct ongoing military operations," stated the Pentagon in a guidance document addressing the preparations for a potential shutdown. "(The military) will continue activities funded with any available budgetary resources that have not lapsed, as well as excepted activities such as those necessary for the safety of human life and the protection of property."

Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the chief Pentagon spokesman, emphasized the challenges the military faces in planning without assured funding. "We are, of course, hopeful that Congress can reach a funding agreement before the end of the (fiscal) year," he expressed. "We do need predictable, adequate and sustained and timely funding."

According to Stars and Stripes, the looming shutdown threat is instigated by the Freedom Caucus, a faction of several dozen House Republican lawmakers, who are withholding funding pending the fulfillment of specific demands. These include the closure of the Pentagon's Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the resumption of border wall construction between the U.S. and Mexico. Other grievances encompass the Justice Department's actions regarding former President Donald Trump and restrictions on military aid to Ukraine.

In the event of a shutdown, military personnel's pay could be impacted. However, an anonymous Pentagon official assured that troops and essential civilian defense workers would receive back pay once the shutdown concludes and new funding is secured.

"Members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force are not guaranteed to be paid during a funding lapse," Brian Kelly, president of the Military Officers Association of America, a nonprofit organization supporting troops and a robust national defense told Stars and Stripes. "Lapses in compensation to essential services hinder the ability to grow, equip, and maintain the force necessary to meet national security needs and jeopardize retention, recruitment, and the readiness of our all-volunteer uniformed services."

WASHINGTON - In the event of a federal government shutdown, the U.S. military is prepared to maintain active-duty troops and a select number of civilian defense personnel on duty, albeit without immediate pay, as Congress works towards a budget resolution, Stars and Stripes reported this week.

While the Defense Department has yet to provide a comprehensive plan for the potential shutdown, officials have outlined the possible scenario if Congress does not approve temporary funding before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

"The department will continue to defend the nation and conduct ongoing military operations," stated the Pentagon in a guidance document addressing the preparations for a potential shutdown. "(The military) will continue activities funded with any available budgetary resources that have not lapsed, as well as excepted activities such as those necessary for the safety of human life and the protection of property."

Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the chief Pentagon spokesman, emphasized the challenges the military faces in planning without assured funding. "We are, of course, hopeful that Congress can reach a funding agreement before the end of the (fiscal) year," he expressed. "We do need predictable, adequate and sustained and timely funding."

According to Stars and Stripes, the looming shutdown threat is instigated by the Freedom Caucus, a faction of several dozen House Republican lawmakers, who are withholding funding pending the fulfillment of specific demands. These include the closure of the Pentagon's Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the resumption of border wall construction between the U.S. and Mexico. Other grievances encompass the Justice Department's actions regarding former President Donald Trump and restrictions on military aid to Ukraine.

In the event of a shutdown, military personnel's pay could be impacted. However, an anonymous Pentagon official assured that troops and essential civilian defense workers would receive back pay once the shutdown concludes and new funding is secured.

"Members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force are not guaranteed to be paid during a funding lapse," Brian Kelly, president of the Military Officers Association of America, a nonprofit organization supporting troops and a robust national defense told Stars and Stripes. "Lapses in compensation to essential services hinder the ability to grow, equip, and maintain the force necessary to meet national security needs and jeopardize retention, recruitment, and the readiness of our all-volunteer uniformed services."