National Defense Budget: Restoring Deterrence Vital

We have often been told by the Biden administration and the Department of Defense (DOD) that recent defense budgets are sufficient to deter China and Russia and to counter terrorists who are still a threat. On March 11, 2024, the defense secretary wrote that the president’s proposed 2025 budget “will bolster our ability to defend our country, paced to the challenge posed by an increasingly aggressive People’s Republic of China. It will continue to forge a more resilient joint force and a modern defense ecosystem, built for the security challenges of the 21st century.” This is baloney. The recent budgets are inadequate. We are failing to build a military that will deter China and Russia in the future. China will pass us by unless we respond with a sense of urgency.

Looking at the numbers, we are spending 3 percent of our GDP on defense, tied for the lowest it has been since before World War II. The other time we spent 3 percent was during the Clinton era when we thought we had a “peace dividend.” In the 1960s, we spent 8 percent of our GDP on defense. Reagan spent 6 percent. President George W. Bush spent 4 percent.

DB

About the Author

Don J. Bacon

Don J. Bacon is a retired Air Force general and is now in his fifth term in Congress, representing Nebraska’s second district.

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We have often been told by the Biden administration and the Department of Defense (DOD) that recent defense budgets are sufficient to deter China and Russia and to counter terrorists who are still a threat. On March 11, 2024, the defense secretary wrote that the president’s proposed 2025 budget “will bolster our ability to defend our country, paced to the challenge posed by an increasingly aggressive People’s Republic of China. It will continue to forge a more resilient joint force and a modern defense ecosystem, built for the security challenges of the 21st century.” This is baloney. The recent budgets are inadequate. We are failing to build a military that will deter China and Russia in the future. China will pass us by unless we respond with a sense of urgency.

Looking at the numbers, we are spending 3 percent of our GDP on defense, tied for the lowest it has been since before World War II. The other time we spent 3 percent was during the Clinton era when we thought we had a “peace dividend.” In the 1960s, we spent 8 percent of our GDP on defense. Reagan spent 6 percent. President George W. Bush spent 4 percent.