US military isn’t prepared for global conflict

Jul 30

Ryan Robertson Anchor/Reporter

By Ryan Robertson (Anchor/Reporter)

The chances of the United States military getting involved in a major war with a near-peer competitor are the highest they have been in 80 years. At the same time, the U.S. military is the smallest and most unprepared it has been to fight in a major conflict since the end of the Cold War, according to a bipartisan panel appointed by Congress.

The eight-member Commission on the National Defense Strategy just released an analysis on America’s National Defense Strategy from 2022. According to the report, the U.S. public is largely unaware of the dangers the country faces or the costs required to prepare for a global conflict.

The report said a bipartisan call to arms is necessary in order for the United States to make the changes and investments to adequately prepare.

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Former California Rep. Jane Harman, D, chaired the commission. According to Harman, the country’s most recent National Defense Strategy was written before the war in Ukraine began. That means it doesn’t account for Russia’s growing relationships with China, North Korea and Iran. Now, instead of calling Russia an “acute threat,” the commission said Moscow poses a chronic threat to global peace and stability.

The commission also said China is the top pacing threat for the U.S. military, criticizing current and past administrations and congressional bodies for letting the U.S. military advantage in the Pacific slip away.

The report also offers descriptions of the current global climate and offers some solutions.

For starters, the report said the Pentagon needs to leave behind the Cold War-era construct of being ready to fight two wars against less-capable adversaries. Instead, the commission said the U.S. military should embrace the idea of a multiple theater force construct.

According to the commission, the threats posted by adversary nations are changing. For example, Russia is giving Iran nuclear know-how in exchange for drones.

Adversaries are working together in ways that they have not previously and the U.S. needs to adapt accordingly.

The commission recommends the Pentagon and lawmakers take an aggressive “more of everything” approach. In theory, combining the might of the U.S. military with the ingenuity of the tech sector will increase force readiness.

One example mentioned in the report was the Department of Defense’s Replicator initiative. Started by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, the program fields thousands of low-cost attritable drones.

Some other straightforward recommendations include investing in U.S. shipbuilding, putting more submarines and uncrewed vessels in the Indo-Pacific, and building up more military facilities to reinforce ones already in the Indo-Pacific.

The commission called for a boost to the U.S. forward presence in Eastern Europe, complete with new headquarters and facilities able to support air defense, aviation units and more.

The report also calls out weakness in the U.S. Defense Industrial Base, saying the Pentagon needs to get rid of its outdated procurement process. In its place, the commission suggests that the Pentagon works more closely with non-traditional defense contractors and lessen the barriers to entry for many allied nations. The DOD would also need to fund the recapitalization of armories and invest in advanced manufacturing and further stockpiling of munitions.

Ambassador Eric Edelman — the vice chair on the commission — said the United States can’t confront the biggest threats with the smallest military in a generation, historically low defense spending and an atrophied industrial base.

According to Edelman “deterring [the United States’] adversaries from launching a disastrous war requires investment and demonstrating the ability to mobilize at wartime speed, not the pace of bureaucracy.”

Tags: China, Department of Defense, Indo-Pacific, Military Defense, National Defense Strategy, Russia, The Pentagon, U.S. Congress, U.S. military

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE CHANCES THE UNITED STATES MILITARY COULD GET INVOLVED IN A MAJOR WAR WITH A NEER PEAR ADVERSARY ARE THE HIGHEST THEY’VE BEEN IN 80 YEARS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE U.S. MILITARY IS THE SMALLEST AND MOST UNPREPARED ITS BEEN TO FIGHT A MAJOR CONFLICT SINCE THE END OF THE COLD WAR 35 YEARS AGO.

THAT’S NOT MY ANALYSIS, NOR IS IT COMING FROM SOME POLITICAL FIGURE TRYING TO DRUM UP VOTES. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE FINDINGS FROM A BIPARTISAN PANEL APPOINTED BY CONGRESS.

AN EIGHT MEMBER COMMISSION JUST RELEASED ITS ANALYSIS ON THE COUNTRY’S NATIONAL DEFENSE STRATEGY FROM 2022. IN THE REPORT, THE COMMISSION SAYS THE U.S. PUBLIC ARE LARGELY UNAWARE OF THE DANGERS THE UNITED STATES FACES OR THE COSTS–FINANCIAL OR OTHERWISE–REQUIRED TO ADEQUATELY PREPARE FOR A GLOBAL CONFLICT.

THE REPORT SAYS A BIPARTISAN CALL TO ARMS IS URGENTLY NEEDED SO THE UNITED STATES CAN MAKE THE CHANGES AND INVESTMENTS NEEDED NOW–

RATHER THAN WAITING FOR THE NEXT PEARL HARBOR OR 9/11 TO HAPPEN.

FORMER CALIFORNIA CONGRESSWOMAN JANE HARMAN CHAIRED THE COMMISSION. SHE SAYS THE COUNTRY’S MOST RECENT NATIONAL DEFENSE STRATEGY WAS WRITTEN BEFORE THE WAR IN UKRAINE KICKED OFF–WHICH MEANS IT DOESN’T ACCOUNT FOR THE BUDDING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CHINA, RUSSIA AND NORTH KOREA, NOR RUSSIA AND IRAN’S GROWING TIES. INSTEAD OF CALLING RUSSIA AN ACUTE THREAT–THE COMMISSION SAYS MOSCOW POSES A CHRONIC THREAT TO GLOBAL PEACE AND STABILITY.

THE COMMISSION CALLS CHINA THE NUMBER 1 PACING CHALLENGE FOR THE U-S MILITARY…AND CRITICIZES CURRENT AND PAST PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATIONS AND CONGRESSIONAL BODIES FOR LETTING THE U-S MILITARY ADVANTAGE IN THE PACIFIC SLIP AWAY.

THE REPORT DOESN’T JUST OFFER DIRE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE WORLD WE FIND OURSELVES IN, THOUGH. THE COMMISSION DID PROPOSE SOME SOLUTIONS–

FOR STARTERS, THE PENTAGON NEEDS TO DITCH THE COLD WAR ERA CONSTRUCT OF BEING READY TO FIGHT TWO WARS AGAINST LESS-CAPABLE ADVERSARIES…

INSTEAD, THE COMMISSION SAYS THE U-S MILITARY SHOULD EMBRACE THE IDEA OF A MULTIPLE THEATER FORCE CONSTRUCT…BECAUSE THE THREATS POSED BY ADVERSARY NATIONS ARE CHANGING–THINK RUSSIA GIVING IRAN NUCLEAR KNOW-HOW IN EXCHANGE FOR DRONES.

ADVERSARIES ARE WORKING TOGETHER IN WAYS THEY NEVER HAVE BEFORE–

AND THE U-S NEEDS TO ADAPT ACCORDINGLY.

THE COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THE PENTAGON AND LAWMAKERS TAKE AN AGGRESSIVE “MORE OF EVERYTHING” APPROACH–AND COMBINE THE MIGHT OF THE U-S MILITARY WITH THE INGENUITY OF THE TECH SECTOR TO INCREASE FORCE READINESS.

THE DOD’S REPLICATOR PROGRAM–AN INITIATIVE HELMED BY DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY KATHLEEN HICKS TO FIELD THOUSANDS OF LOW-COST ATTRITABLE DRONES WAS ONE EXAMPLE OF NIMBLENESS NAMED IN THE REPORT.

THERE ARE SOME STRAIGHTFORWARD RECOMMENDATIONS TOO. LIKE MASSIVELY INVESTING IN U-S SHIPBUILDING, PUTTING MORE SUBMARINES AND UNCREWED VESSELS IN THE INDOPACIFIC–AS WELL AS BUILDING UP MORE MILITARY FACILITIES IN THE REGION AND REINFORCING THE ONES ALREADY THERE.

THE COMMISSION CALLS FOR A BOOST TO THE US FORWARD PRESENCE IN EASTERN EUROPE–COMPLETE WITH A NEW HEADQUARTERS AND FACILITIES TO SUPPORT ALL SORTS OF UNITS–LIKE AIR DEFENSE, ARMORED, AND AVIATION UNITS.

AND WHILE THE FUTURE OF THE NEXT GENERATION AIR DOMINANCE FIGHTER MAY BE IN JEOPARDY–THE COMMISSIONERS THINK THE NAVY AND AIR FORCE SHOULD HAVE IT.

COMMISSIONERS ARE ALSO CALLING OUT THE WEAKNESS IN THE U-S DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE–AND SAY THE PENTAGON NEEDS TO DITCH ITS OUTDATED PROCUREMENT PROCESS

INSTEAD, THE COMMISSION URGES THE PENTAGON TO WORK MORE CLOSELY WITH NON-TRADITIONAL DEFENSE CONTRACTORS AND LESSEN THE BARRIERS TO ENTRY FOR MANY ALLIED NATIONS. THE DOD ALSO NEEDS TO FUND THE RECAPITALIZATION OF ARMORIES AND INVEST IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND FURTHER STOCKPILING OF MUNITIONS.

AMBASSADOR ERIC EDELMAN–THE VICE CHAIR ON THE COMMISSION–SAYS THE UNITED STATES CAN’T CONFRONT THE BIGGEST THREATS SINCE THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR WITH THE SMALLEST MILITARY IN A GENERATION, HISTORICALLY LOW DEFENSE SPENDING, AND AN ATROPHIED INDUSTRIAL BASE.

BECAUSE, AS THE AMBASSADOR PUTS IT– DETERRING OUR ADVERSARIES FROM LAUNCHING A DISASTROUS WAR REQUIRES INVESTMENT AND DEMONSTRATING THE ABILITY TO MOBILIZE AT WARTIME SPEED, NOT THE PACE OF BUREAUCRACY.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M RYAN ROBERTSON. FOR MORE ON THE STATE OF THE U-S MILITARY AND OUR INVOLVEMENT IN EUROPE AND THE INDOPACIFIC, BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY, OR LOG ON TO SAN.DOM.