2024 National Defense Strategy Commission: We Are Not Prepared

[Kirkhill]

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/10/21/national_defense_strategy_commission_we_are_not_prepared_1066457.html

“The threats the United States faces are the most serious and most challenging the nation has encountered since 1945 and include the potential for near-term major war. The United States last fought a global conflict during World War II, which ended nearly 80 years ago. The nation was last prepared for such a fight during the Cold War, which ended 35 years ago. It is not prepared today.”

The commission says the magnitude of the threats the U.S. faces is understated and significantly worse than when the National Defense Strategy was issued two years ago, especially when viewed globally and as being compounded.

The commission noted China’s work in fusing military, diplomatic and industrial strength to expand its global power.

In its findings, the commission says that Defense Department (DoD) business practices; byzantine research and development (R&D) and procurement systems; reliance on decades-old military hardware; and a culture of risk avoidance reflect an era of uncontested military dominance. DoD leaders and Congress must replace a risk-averse organization with one that’s able to build and field the force the U.S. needs.

The commission found that the U.S. military lacks both the capabilities and capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat. It must do a better job of incorporating innovative technology; field more and higher-capability platforms, software, and munitions; and deploy innovative operational concepts to employ them together better.

Oh, and make lots more stuff of all sorts.

But...

But here’s where the challenge begins for our political leaders. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported earlier this month that the U.S. budget deficit exceeded $1.8 trillion in the latest fiscal year. The government faces a persistent gap between federal outlays and tax collections. Last fiscal year, the government collected $4.92 trillion in revenue and spent $6.75 trillion—a deficit of $1.83 trillion. You cannot run a household with this mindset. Neither should we run our government this way.

The U.S. has incurred so much debt that it spent $950 billion on interest payments alone—a 34% increase from last year. Those interest costs surpassed military spending.

These numbers are not sustainable.

If the West wants an American style defence then it is going to have to dig deeper and toss a few more shekels in the kitty.

 

[Kirkhill]

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