The top United States military officer says it is unclear whether U.S. troops in Afghanistan would be paid on time in the event of a debt default.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told troops in Kandahar Saturday he does not know if their paychecks will be disrupted if U.S. lawmakers fail to agree on a deal to raise the debt ceiling.

Mullen told the soldiers he realized suspending their pay could have a devastating impact on the many troops who live paycheck to paycheck.

Mullen said he believed the troops would be paid eventually.

The U.S. has warned that it will run out of money to pay all of its bills after August 2 without a deal from Congress to raise a $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.