Is the US Global Military Posture at Risk?

In a congressional hearing on the US defense budget Monday, the US Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff depicted an alarming scenario for Israeli decision makers: "Without sufficient funding, we will lose our ability to meet our alliance commitments"

Is the US Global Military Posture at Risk?

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"…Without sustained, sufficient, and predictable funding, I assess that within 5 years we will lose our ability to project power; the basis of how we defend the homeland, advance U.S. interests, and meet our alliance commitments," stated Gen. Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee.

"In today's strategic environment, five key challenges – Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and Violent Extremist Organizations - most clearly represent the challenges facing the U.S. military.

"For Russia and China, specifically, the lessons-learned spurred dramatic tactical, operational, and strategic adaptations. Observing the power and efficacy of precision guided munitions and combined arms maneuver, both countries accelerated modernization programs to asymmetrically counter U.S. advantages. They adapted operational constructs to incorporate anti-access technology and 3 employed new doctrines to leverage high-tech weaponry across all domains.

"Today, Russia continues to invest in a full-range of capabilities designed to limit our ability to project power into Europe and meet our alliance commitments to NATO. These capabilities include long-range conventional strike, cyber, space, electronic warfare, ground force and naval capabilities.

"Similarly, China has embarked on a significant program to modernize and expand strategic and conventional military capabilities. They have expanded their nuclear enterprise and made investments in power projection, space, cyber, hypersonic weapons, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles – even as they continue to build out their physical presence in the South China Sea.

"Iran seeks to assert itself as the dominant regional power in the Middle East. They continue to support international terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, and support proxies in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen to assert influence and counter the influence of the U.S. and our Allies. They actively seek to destabilize their neighbors, and employ naval capabilities that threaten freedom of navigation. At the same time, they are modernizing an array of ballistic missiles, missile defense, space, cyber, maritime, and cruise missile capabilities.

"…As a result of sustained operational tempo and budget instability, today the military is challenged to meet operational requirements and sustain 5 investment in capabilities required to preserve – or in some cases restore – our competitive advantage. […] Additionally, over the past two years, munitions expenditures in ongoing operations against Violent Extremist Organizations exacerbated existing shortfalls.

"Making matters worse, for the past five years, the Budget Control Act (BCA) has forced the Department of Defense (DoD) to operate with about $450 billion less than planned and required. […] A year-long FY18 CR would cut $33 billion from the Department’s request, further exacerbating these problems.

"The Air Force is also challenged to balance operational demands and invest for the future. Today, the Air Force is short almost 1,500 pilots, including 800 fighter pilots, and more than 3,400 maintainers across all components. They lack sufficient resources to adequately support both 4th and 5th generation training. And they have delayed investment in 4th generation aircraft modifications while limiting the fielding of 5th generation strike-fighters. The result is fewer trained pilots available to deploy, over-tasked and aging aircraft, and delays in modernization programs required to defeat near-peer adversaries.

"Over the last several years, the Marine Corps has been forced to delay planned investments in infrastructure, Command and Control, and ground systems required to build, train, and launch combat ready forces.

16 Years of On-going War

"When Congress approved the All-Volunteer Force in 1973, our country never envisioned sending our military to war for more than a decade without pause or conscription. America’s long war has placed a heavy burden on men and women in uniform and their families," stated US Secretary of Defense James Mattis in the hearing.

"…The war has exhausted our equipment faster than planned. Congress and the Department could not anticipate the accumulated wear and tear of years of continuous combat use. We have had to procure replacement gear and spend more money to keep gear serviceable and extend its service life. Due to this extensive use of our equipment across the force, operations and maintenance costs have also increased, rising faster than the rate of inflation during the past 16 years.

"The most urgent and dangerous threat to peace and security is North Korea. North Korea's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them has increased in pace and scope. The regime’s nuclear weapons program is a clear and present danger to all, and the regime’s provocative actions, manifestly illegal under international law, have not abated despite United Nations’ censure and sanctions.

"We all recognize that it will take a number of years of higher funding delivered on time to restore readiness. To strengthen the military, President Trump requested a $639.1 billion topline for the FY 2018 defense budget. Of this topline, $574.5 billion supports Department of Defense base budget requirements – warfighting readiness and critical program requirements, including intelligence community requirements. The balance, $64.6 billion, supports Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) requirements."