According to a recent report on US military power, the US military may not be able to win even one war, much less two, as the Pentagon battles to keep its troops prepared for future Chinese and Russian threats.
The annual Index of US Military Strength published by the right-leaning Heritage Foundation finds that the military is weak relative to the force needed to defend national interests in the global arena and has poorly defined priorities due to years of underfunding.
US Military Ratings in Decline
According to the paper, as China becomes more assertive in the Pacific and Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine, the likelihood of two-front fighting has grown.
The overall military posture of the United States can only be described as poor, the assessment stated. Only the Marine Corps was classified as strong overall among the services in the report's evaluation of force capacity, capability, and readiness.
This bodes major difficulty as the US prepares to fight a fast-expanding and more aggressive Chinese military, said Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), as the Army received a marginal rating, the Space Force and Navy were rated poor, and the Air Force bottomed out at very weak, as per New York Post.
The US continues to have a favorable operational environment that supports its ability to project military might throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Despite difficulties in every region, the US is still able to project its forces, especially in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Alliances and military posture in those areas enable the US to project its dominance in Europe and Asia. But the US runs the risk of losing it's moderate standing there.
The US military project is still deemed to be favorable in the European and Pacific theaters. Researchers also claimed that both China and Russia have the formidable capability and aggressive behavior.
Iran and nonstate actors were also judged to be aggressive in the report, although their capabilities were found to be less dangerous. Although North Korea behaves less than Iran does, it is nonetheless capable of posing a greater threat to the US than nonstate actors.
An important factor contributing to Russia's threat level is its efforts to weaken the NATO alliance of which the US is a member. The research concentrated on three places that potential enemies could threaten: the homeland, US allies in a particular region, and "international common spaces, according to Defense News.
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US Military Hampered by Pentagon Budgets
In the interim, the four main branches of the American military have been forced to make difficult choices over whether to be technologically cutting edge, properly manned, or prepared to fight at a moment's notice due to Pentagon funds that have failed to keep up with rampant inflation.
The Marine Corps was able to obtain the outstanding score despite recently shrinking to a skeletal 21 infantry battalions from 27 as recently as 2011. New and emerging threats have also transformed how the Marine Corps is organized, trained, equipped, and employed.
Despite recently dropping from 27 infantry battalions in 2011 to a meager 21 today, the Marine Corps was nevertheless able to achieve the exceptional score. The way the Marine Corps is structured, trained, outfitted, and employed has also changed in response to new and developing challenges.
The Marine Corps was nevertheless able to receive the exceptional rating despite losing infantry battalions lately, going from 27 in 2011 to a pathetic 21. The way the Marine Corps is set up, trained, armed, and employed has also changed in response to new and developing challenges.
In July, the US House of Representatives approved $37 billion in expenditure on top of the record $773 billion proposed by President Joe Biden, clearing the way for the country's defense budget to surpass $800 billion next year, albeit only narrowly.
Although the Senate has not yet passed its version of the measure, the Senate Armed Services Committee has already endorsed an increase over Biden's proposal that would add $45 billion in funding, Daily Mail reported.
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