The US government may not pay wages to its soldiers if the country defaults on its debt, says Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Mullen said that many troops are living paycheck to paycheck, adding that “if paychecks were to stop, it would have a devastating impact.”
Several troops at the Kandahar Air Field have been concerned about the budget debate taking place in Washington in which Mullen stated that Pentagon officials were planning for a potential default.
If Congress fails to strike a deal to raise the debt ceiling limit, the US will run out of money for paying its bills after Tuesday's deadline.
The US debt ceiling is currently capped at USD 14.3 trillion, up from USD 10.6 trillion when President Barack Obama took office in 2009.
The US has about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan which are expected to be pulled out by the end of the year, according to plans announced by President Barack Obama last month.
The estimate cost for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as of June 29, is between USD 3.7 trillion and USD 4.4 trillion.
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