Despite increasing threats from autocratic regimes like China and Russia, the U.S. defense budget is expected to reach its lowest point in decades. This decline in funding is having a significant impact on the nation's ability to field the military it needs, forcing the armed services to make difficult and unwise decisions.
The world is currently facing a strategic divide, with democracies pitted against a bloc of autocracies led by Beijing and Moscow. This challenge calls for a strong defense strategy, but the Pentagon's budget is on track to reach its lowest point in decades. This makes no sense, as the White House should match its spending to the increasing threats.
The U.S. Defense Industrial Base is Falling Behind Due to Budget Cuts
The U.S. is the world's most innovative country, but its own processes and bureaucracy hold it back. Congressional appropriators are refusing to provide the Department of Defense (DOD) with the necessary funding and authorities. This creates problems for the defense economy and makes it difficult to field the military the nation needs.
Budget cuts have hindered the rejuvenation of the U.S. Army, forcing it to stop or slow critical modernization initiatives. The Navy's plan to build a battle force of over 500 vessels has been scaled back, and the service can now construct fewer than two submarines annually. This is not the way to deter the largest navy in the world.
The U.S. Defense Industrial Base is Falling Behind Due to Budget Cuts
The Air Force is also facing budget constraints and is reconsidering its plans to build the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter. Delays or cancellation of this program could put the U.S. behind its adversaries in developing a sixth-generation fighter.
The war in Ukraine has highlighted the U.S.'s insufficient stockpiles of critical munitions and an inadequate defense industrial base. Solving these problems and sustaining the fix will require years of higher defense spending.
The U.S. Defense Industrial Base is Falling Behind Due to Budget Cuts
Meanwhile, China is spending nearly as much on defense as the U.S., focusing its capabilities on the Indo-Pacific, making the Chinese military more daunting. To meet its global leadership responsibilities and deter communist aggression, the U.S. must dramatically increase its defense outlays.
Some lawmakers have proposed that the U.S. spend at least 5% of GDP on defense, a solid starting point. Fielding cutting-edge weapons is expensive and time-consuming, but it is a winning formula for the U.S.
Budget cuts are a false economy. Preventing war is less expensive than fighting one, and losing one is far worse. The U.S. must return to Reagan's dictum of "peace through strength" and muster its resources to protect its interests against authoritarian regimes.
