The U.S. military continues to have a “competitive advantage over any adversary,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs said, while acknowledging the advantage has eroded in recent years.

“I can say with confidence that our armed forces are ready to protect the homeland and meet our alliance commitments,” Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford said Sept. 26 when he appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee facing reappointment to his second two-year term as the nation’s top uniformed officer.

Everything is not good, Dunford said. The U.S. military is operating in a “complex and volatile security environment,” he said, and “I don’t expect the strategic landscape to improve in the near future.”

“We face very real and significant readiness challenges today, and we have failed to adequately invest in the future,” Dunford said. “I can't state it any clearer. If we don't address this dynamic with sustained, sufficient and predictable funding over the course of several years, we will lose our qualitative and quantitative competitive advantage. In the end, this will have a profound effect on our ability to deter conflict and to respond effectively if deterrence fails.”