As Congress plunges into another fiscal showdown, defense hawks are warning that the United States faces one of the “most difficult and most dangerous” global environments since World War II.
National security experts are warning that the U.S. military is woefully unprepared for the growing risk of a major international conflict, echoing concerns expressed by a congressional committee earlier this summer.
“Americans have a long tradition of sleeping through a national security crisis,” Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center for Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told The Post on Tuesday.
“It is less costly to deter aggression than to fight a war that could have been prevented,” Bowman added. “When deterrence fails, it is the service members who put themselves in the fight who pay the greatest price for this move. We owe them more.”
in 132-page report The National Defense Strategy Commission, released in July, said Biden's National Defense Strategy 2022 He also pointed out a number of weaknesses, including inefficiencies in military spending, a hollowing out of the defense industrial base, and bureaucracy that impedes progress.
“The committee concluded that the U.S. military lacks both the capabilities and capabilities necessary to be confident it can deter and win conflict. The U.S. military needs to do more to incorporate new technologies at scale,” the report said.
Congress had tasked a bipartisan committee, led by former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), who once served as the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, to evaluate and recommend the Biden strategy, which was released months after Russia's bloody, unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February of that year.
“The threats facing the United States are the most serious and challenging they have faced since 1945, including the possibility of a major war in the near future,” the report summary stressed.
“The last time the country was prepared for a fight like this was during the Cold War, which ended 35 years ago. We are not prepared now.”
Bowman stressed that the committee's analysis was not “hyperbole” but rather a “calm, objective, fact-based” view of the situation.
Multiple Threats, Multiple Battlefields
Most worryingly, the commission concluded that “in many respects, China has surpassed the United States” and “all but negated” U.S. military advantages in the Western Pacific.
But the commission's report added that Beijing is far from the only geopolitical and military risk facing the United States, and called for a shift in U.S. military posture toward a “multi-theater force configuration.”
“The 2022 NDS force structure does not adequately take into account global competition and the very real threat of simultaneous conflict in multiple theaters,” the report warned.
“The United States needs to exert a global military, diplomatic and economic presence to maintain stability and influence around the world, including in the global south where China and Russia are expanding their influence.”
The committee also warned that the Pentagon's designation of Russia as a “serious threat” downplays the “ongoing and persistent” danger posed by Moscow, particularly in cyberspace.
Blaming the lawmakers
Many defense hawks have long been unhappy with Congress, with the committee's report even describing the Legislature as an “impediment” to U.S. national security.
“Congress's functioning in recent years has been a major impediment to national security. Congress has consistently failed to fulfill its basic duty of funding the government on time,” he said, blaming repeated government shutdown battles and other brinkmanship for creating uncertainty and “wasting billions of taxpayer dollars.”
The committee also sharply criticized delays to passage of bills consolidating aid to Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, and a “Senate dictatorial regime” led by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who was not named in the report, for delaying promotions of military officers for months.
“Nearly every year since 2011, Congress has failed to provide the Pentagon with an adequate defense budget on time. In doing so, Congress has created inefficiencies and uncertainty for contractors, wasted billions of dollars, and delayed the launch of critical new programs,” Bowman said.
Lawmakers have warned of national security concerns amid the showdown over spending, with some Republican defense hawks privately pressuring House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana.
Other lawmakers, such as Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), have expressed concern about U.S. troops coming under attack in conflict zones around the world, including the Middle East.
Hollowing out of the defense industry, difficulty in recruiting
The commission also warned that America's industrial base “is woefully inadequate to supply the equipment, technology, and weapons needed today, let alone meet the demands of a great power conflict.”
During the Ukraine war, the United States was forced to ship cluster bombs, which could pose a danger to civilians, as its defense industry struggled to keep up with demand for supplies that caused less collateral damage.
on the other hand, The Department of Defense acknowledges “The military overall fell short of its recruiting goal by about 41,000 recruits” for fiscal year 2023.
“While a Department of Defense-staffed and all-volunteer force provides the United States with an unparalleled advantage, the current force is the smallest in generations,” the report said. “Its current focus on maintaining readiness leaves it inadequate to meet the needs of strategic global competition and multi-theater warfare.”
Congress has a deadline to fund the government in some form by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30. House Republican leaders have proposed a six-month spending plan but are facing resistance from lawmakers.
A vote on the bill is expected to take place on Wednesday.
