U.S. Soldiers Fighting In Afghanistan Are Asking If They Will Get Paid

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen addresses the media on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Md., July 28, 2011. Mullen is on a five-day USO tour with comedian Jon Stewart, NBA Legend Karl Malone and magician David Blaine visiting troops in Afghanistan. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Troops Ask Amid Debt Crisis: Will We Get Paid? -- MSNBC

'I honestly can't answer that question,' Admiral Mike Mullen says in Afghanistan

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — A half a world away from the Capitol Hill deadlock, the economy and debt crisis are weighing heavily on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

And the top question on their minds Saturday even as bombings rocked the city around them, was one the top U.S. military officer couldn't answer.

Will we get paid?

"I honestly can't answer that question," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told troops at Kandahar air base in southern Afghanistan, as several expressed anxiety over budget wrangling in Washington.

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More News On The Debt Crisis And Its Impact On US Military Pay

Budget, debt worries plague troops -- AP
Anxiety in Afghanistan over troops pay if U.S. defaults -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Budget Woes Top List of Concerns in Afghanistan -- US Department of Defense
Anxiety in Afghanistan over troops' pay if U.S. defaults -- Stars and Stripes
Mullen hears litany of budget, debt worries from troops as he travels Afghanistan -- Newser

My Comment: This is unprecedented, but legitimate. With no support within Congress for a 'Pay Troops First' bill, a prolonged government shutdown will impact checks and payments. In turn, the negative impact on the morale of US soldiers in conflict zones will be profound and long lasting.