“I thought that in a shutdown, mostly non-essential employees are affected...”
Essential employees still work, but they don’t get paid until a bill passes. Not a problem if the gov is shut down a week. Big problem if it goes on for 3 months! I suspect most active-duty military would be hard pressed if required to work without pay for months.
The DoD is funded through September.
I suggest that you go back to the 1980 government shutdown. I was a newly assigned Captain assigned to Mather AFB back then.
If I remember correctly that shut down lasted almost two pay cycles. Those of us living on base didn’t have to worry about mortgage and utility payments, I think there were discussions about issuing military pay scripts to allow shopping in the commissary for food etc.
We were ordered not to discuss this with our subordinates and students. The wives, on the other hand.....
Let’s say some of their posters were colorful and directly to the point.