OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE – THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS – AT 10:32 A.M. ET:   The elite Navy SEALS are short of...rifles.  From AP:

WASHINGTON – The tip of the spear may be losing its edge.

Navy SEAL teams don't have enough combat rifles to go around, even as these highly trained forces are relied on more than ever to carry out counterterrorism operations and other secretive missions, according to SEALs who have confided in Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

After SEALs return from a deployment, their rifles are given to other commandos who are shipping out, said Hunter, a former Marine who served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. This weapons carousel undercuts the "train like you fight" ethos of the U.S. special operations forces, they said.

Hunter said he's been contacted by several SEALs, but he declined to provide further information about the weapons they use in order to protect their identities.

U.S. military officials said they were looking into the issue.

Sharing rifles may seem inconsequential. It's not. The weapons, which are outfitted with telescopic targeting sights and laser pointers, are fine-tuned to individual specifications and become intensely personal pieces of gear.

"They want their rifles," Hunter said. "It's their lifeline. So let them keep their guns until they're assigned desk jobs at the Pentagon."

COMMENT:  Symbolic of the shortchanging of the American military during the Obama years.  Shortages are commonplace in military organizations, but shortages of rifles? 

In less than a year we will be free of Barack Obama.  A new president will have to restore the fighting strength, and also the morale of our armed forces.

March 7, 2016