(CNN) The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee called the deaths of two soldiers in an Apache helicopter crash in Kentucky on Friday "heartbreaking" in a statement Saturday, adding that military readiness is in crisis.

Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said he grieves "over the loss of our men and women in uniform," and added that "the tragic deaths of troops killed in aviation accidents over the past month is especially heartbreaking."

"What has been evident to me for some time is now becoming clear to the American people. The readiness of our military is at a crisis point," he said.

Thornberry's remarks come after a string of military air crashes in the last several days that have killed seven service members. He emphasized that ensuring the safety of US troops has to be the Pentagon's highest priority.

"Congress voted to provide our troops the funds they need to begin turning this crisis around" and that "there can be no higher priority for the Department of Defense than ensuring that our aircraft are safe and that pilots get the training they need."

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