President Obama, in a farewell ceremony before top military leaders, called on the next White House and Congress to come up with a deal to end mandatory budget cuts.
Speaking at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, Obama decried what he called “the reckless budget cuts of sequestration,” which have hurt military readiness.
“We cannot go back to sequestration,” Obama said, calling on Congress to end the mandatory across the board budget cuts that were set into motion late in 2011.
The full honor review featured military bands, honor guards from all the services, and a 21-gun salute from a line of cannons outside the building that could easily be heard booming inside the cavernous Conmy Hall.
The farewell ceremony was attended by Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford.
“There is no greater privilege and no greater honor than serving as commander in chief of the greatest military in the world,” Obama said as he accepted the thanks and well-wishes of his top civilian and military leaders.
Addressing his remarks to the troops, Obama said, “I’m the front man, but you are the ones doing the work.”
Singling out the role U.S. special operations forces in battling the Islamic State group, Obama said, “I have no doubt this barbaric terrorist group will be destroyed because of you.”
He ended his remarks with an admonition to the military to remember what while less than 1 percent of Americans are fighting our wars, 100 percent of Americans are behind them.
“At a time when too few Americans truly understand the realities or sacrifices of military service, at a time when many political leaders have not served, if some in the military begin to feel as though somehow they are apart from the larger society they serve, those bonds can fray.”
