The Proposed 2023 Defense Budget Doesn’t Meet U.S. Security Goals
Dave DeptulaContributor
Jun 9, 2022,01:33pm EDT
Will the president’s proposed 2023 federal budget allow the Department of Defense to satisfy the demands of the National Defense Strategy? The short answer is no—it is too small to pay for the necessary capabilities and capacity to deter and if necessary, defeat, challenges from major-power rivals China and Russia, as well as deal with those posed by Iran, North Korea, and global terrorism. Since the 2018 congressionally appointed bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission, they and numerous other American defense leaders have repeatedly stated that meeting those goals will require between 3-5 percent real growth per year throughout much of the 2020s. The president’s proposed 2023 budget does not meet that target. In fact, when inflation is considered, proposed 2023 defense funding is down between 3-5 percent real growth compared to last year’s—not up.
The National Defense Strategy Commission explained today’s circumstances well when it concluded: “America is very near the point of strategic insolvency, where its ‘means’ are badly out of alignment with its ‘ends.’” Given the alarming threats posed by China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, this danger is very real.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davedeptula/2022/06/09/does-the-proposed-2023-defense-budget-meet-us-security-goals/?sh=54ad5dfa4bcc
