The Biden defense budget ignores the reality of the soaring military threat facing America, warns Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), Lead Republican of the House Armed Services Committee.
The Alabama Republican He emphasized that “Many of us here, regardless of party, believe we should respond with increased investment in the men and women of our armed forces, and the modernization of our conventional and strategic deterrent. Unfortunately, the President doesn’t see things the same way. For the second year in a row, the President sent us a budget that fails to keep pace with China or Russia. And, yet again, it fails to keep pace with inflation. Despite predictions from leading economists that record high inflation will endure, the White House directed the Pentagon to assume a rate of only 2.2 percent in FY23. We’re at 8 percent now. To average 2.2 percent next year, we would require months of unprecedented record low inflation. Everyone knows that’s not going to happen. That means nearly every dollar of increase in this budget will be eaten by inflation. Very little if anything will be left over to modernize and grow capability.”
Rogers is joined by Rob Whittman, (R-Va.), who notes that “We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history; we must decide if the United States will retain its global primacy, or if we will concede our position to the malign intent of Communist China.”
John Donelly, writing for Roll Call, notes that “Stunning and dangerous cuts would result if the Biden defense budget is approved. Despite predictions from leading economists that record high inflation will endure, the White House directed the Pentagon to assume a rate of only 2.2 percent in FY23. We’re at 8 percent now. To average 2.2 percent next year, we would require months of unprecedented record low inflation. Everyone knows that’s not going to happen. That means nearly every dollar of increase in this budget will be eaten by inflation. Very little if anything will be left over to modernize and grow capability.”
The Navy would have company in the race to the bottom. An Army Times analysis found that “Amid a major land war in Europe, the Biden administration’s fiscal 2023 budget request would temporarily shrink the active duty Army to 473,000 troops if enacted by Congress. That could leave the service at its smallest size since 1940, when it had just over 269,000 troops. Other historical lows include an authorized 476,000 in fiscal 2017 and nearly 478,000 in fiscal 1999 at the nadir of the post-Cold War drawdown.”
The Air Force Association (AFA) outlines the issue for its service. “The President’s fiscal 2023 budget request falls far short of national defense strategy requirements and will force the Air Force to surrender critical capability while foregoing new weapons purchases. This is particularly precarious as China rapidly increases both capability and capacity, the Air Force Association said after reviewing public budget documents. The AFA called for bipartisan support for increased investment in the Air and Space Forces to ensure the two most indispensable, flexible, and lethal elements of U.S. military force are strengthened in the face of growing threats from China and increasing risk in Europe to our NATO allies in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine.”
The U.S. military recently endured dramatically inadequate funding during the Obama Administration. The Obama cuts and the Biden inadequate funding come on top of the dramatic cuts the military suffered. Unfortunately, since the USSR’s fall, the threats against the U.S. expanded as Putin restored his military and China become a major threat.
All this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Candidate Biden campaigned on a a promise to cut defense spending. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, describes Biden’s proposed budget, reflects “the world he wishes for — but not the world as it is.”
Photo: Fast attack missile boats attached to a group with the navy under the PLA Eastern Theater Command steam in formation during a maritime training exercise in waters of the East China Sea on February 22, 2022. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Du Kecheng)