It hasn't mattered who was SML or SOH since the days of Bush and Sec of Def Cheney because the results have been the same. Bill Clinton's damage occurred under a two house GOP majority for six of his eight years especially after Boehner ousted Newt.
Until Congress is disciplined by lifetime Term Limits many issues will not be addressed no matter who is POTUS, SML, or SOH. Who will be blamed? Ones at mid officer ranks of 05 & 06 pay grades just as they were blamed for the post 9/11 incident where two of our carriers failed to get underway due to readiness issues. You can't fix what ain't funded to be fixed. Congress should have taken Poppy Bush, Clinton, W, and Obama to the woodshed on readiness issues and the secretaries along with JCOS should have had the guts to say hey we need funding and went public if necessary.
Getting involved in useless wars in the Middle East hasn’t helped.
Congress controls the budget of the military, the spending, the rules of it and similar actions. This at the feet of the GOP.
No flames here. Its totally the gops fault. If they fought as hard for the.military as they did against Trump . . .