Heritage Foundation ranks US military as 'weak' for first time
by Cami Mondeaux, Breaking News Reporter |
October 18, 2022 09:27 AM
The U.S. military has grown increasingly weaker over the years and is considered at risk of not being able to respond to threats to the country’s national interests, according to new rankings of the military’s strength.
The Heritage Foundation’s 2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength found that the military is “weak” and “at growing risk of not being able to meet the demands of defending America’s vital national interests” — marking the first time in the index’s nine-year history that the country has been rated so low.
“It is rated as weak relative to the force needed to defend national interests on a global stage against actual challenges in the world as it is rather than as we wish it were,” the index said. “This is the logical consequence of years of sustained use, underfunding, poorly defined priorities, wildly shifting security policies, exceedingly poor discipline in program execution, and a profound lack of seriousness across the national security establishment even as threats to U.S. interests have surged.”
The Heritage Foundation measured the military’s overall ability to secure victories in two major conflicts at once in different areas of the world. However, it concluded the military force is at risk of being unable to “meet the demands of a single major regional conflict” and would be “ill-equipped to handle two nearly simultaneous” conflicts.
The Heritage Foundation listed each of the military branches for individual rankings based on capability, capacity, and readiness, according to the report. The Marine Corps fared the best, receiving an overall “strong” rating — an improvement from its “marginal” rating in 2021.
The Air Force fell to the bottom of the list, receiving an overall “very weak” rating due to struggles with pilot production and retention, leaving “little doubt that it would struggle in war with a peer competitor.” The Navy and Space Force were rated as “weak,” and the Army was considered “marginal.”
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/heritage-foundation-ranks-military-weak-first-time
