The latest iteration of the Pentagon’s defense-wide search for spending cuts could take $2.2 billion out of military health care over the next five years, impacting military families and endangering readiness, Politico reported over the weekend, citing multiple unnamed senior defense officials.

One of the sources said there was little or no policy rationale for the figure.

“A lot of the decisions were made in dark, smoky rooms, and it was driven by arbitrary numbers of cuts,” one of the officials knowledgeable about the process said, according to the report. “They wanted to book the savings to be able to report it.”

Another official told Politico that the cuts require “actively pushing very skilled medical people out the door,” which “imperils the ability to support our combat forces overseas.”

DOD said it will not make cuts that degrade service.

“The MHS will not waver from its mission to provide a ready medical force and a medically ready force,” Pentagon spokesperson Lisa Lawrence said, according to Politico. “Any potential changes to the health system will only be pursued in a manner that ensures its ability to continue to support the Department’s operational requirements and to maintain our beneficiaries access to quality health care.”

The military health system supports almost 10 million active duty members, retirees and dependents.

Army photo by Emily Yeh