Army secretary nominee worried about cuts to Army's size

Eric Fanning told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that improving the Army's state of readiness is challenging because of the threat posed by Islamic State militants and other demands.

Committee members had expressed concern a federal law governing requirements for filling openings that require Senate confirmation would be violated if Fanning continued as acting secretary.

McCain, a frequent critic of the Obama administration's national security policies, said the decision to cut the Army from a wartime peak of 570,000 soldiers was "budget-driven" and made before the growth of the Islamic State militant group or Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

If mandated budget cuts, known as sequestration, aren't reversed, "the Army will shrink to 420,000 troops, increasing the risk that in a crisis, we will have too few soldiers who could enter a fight without proper training or equipment," McCain said.