This is not so comforting. After being asked by an active-duty soldier Saturday in Afghanistan if troop wages would be affected by a government default, Adm. Mike Mullen said he does not have an answer to that. “I honestly hope we don’t get there,” Mullen said. He indicated that a default should not affect operations in the immediate future, but he warned that “the single biggest threat to national security is this growing debt.”
Unlock a year of full access to The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First monththen $5.99/month
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $5.99 monthly. Cancel anytime
Annual
$35
First yearthen $59.99/year
Discounted annual rate - Save 47%
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $59.99 yearly. Cancel anytime
Best Value
Premium
$79
First yearthen $119.99/year
Discounted annual rate
Full access to the Daily Beast Substack ($60 value)*
Premium ad-free reading
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $119.99 yearly. Cancel anytime
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Subscription$0.00
Total$0.00
OR
Loading subscription options
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First monththen $5.99/month
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $5.99 monthly. Cancel anytime
Annual
$35
First yearthen $59.99/year
Discounted annual rate - Save 47%
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $59.99 yearly. Cancel anytime
Best Value
Premium
$79
First yearthen $119.99/year
Discounted annual rate
Full access to the Daily Beast Substack ($60 value)*
Premium ad-free reading
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $119.99 yearly. Cancel anytime
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.