The Association of the U.S. Army, joined by five like-minded military associations, is urging key lawmakers to pass adequate and timely budgets to support the Army in fiscal year 2025.

“Our nation faces many threats, and our uniformed services operate in a very challenging environment,” the associations say in a letter to the top four leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. “From responding to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the current crisis in the Middle East, China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific, as well as countering the malign activities of North Korea—the uniformed services continue to answer our nation’s call around the globe.”

At home, “without fail or delay, the uniformed services have provided essential support to civilian authorities during natural disasters of historical scales,” says the letter signed by retired Gen. Bob Brown, president and CEO of AUSA.

The letter also was signed by retired Air Force Master Sgt. Daniel Reilly, president of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States; Stuart Bradin, president and CEO of the Global Special Operations Forces Foundation; retired Maj. Gen. Francis McGinn, president of the National Guard Association of the United States; retired Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Phillips, executive director of the Reserve Organization of America; and Cara Rinkoff, national executive director of the U.S. Army Warrant Officers Association.

Should a continuing resolution be required to avert a “harmful and counterproductive government shutdown, it should be a short one,” the letter says, referring to stopgap funding that keeps the government running at the previous year’s levels and prevents any new program starts.

“Funding the government at last year’s rate diminishes national security and the capabilities of the uniformed services (both Regular and Reserve Components) by hurting readiness, modernization, and quality-of-life programs,” the letter says. “… The negative impact to quality of life will do nothing but harm those who are currently serving and could harm recruiting efforts.”

Stopgap funding also will cause delays in modernization priorities, new barracks or construction projects and other programs, the letter says.

“[Continuing resolutions] damage the joint force’s ability to prepare to fight and win in the future and impedes readiness to counter threats today,” the letter says.

Swift passage of all 12 fiscal 2025 appropriations bills will provide the predictability and resources “commensurate with the demonstrated need and the urgency that our national security challenges require,” the letter says.

Read the letter here.