As Threats To The United States Proliferate, President Biden’s Defense Budget ‘Is Woefully Inadequate’

Senate Republicans: ‘The President’s Defense Budget Is Woefully Inadequate And Disappointing,’ Biden’s Proposed Defense ‘Funding Levels … Fail To Keep Up With Inflation’

SEN. ROGER WICKER (R-MS), Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member: “The President’s defense budget is woefully inadequate and disappointing. It does not even resource his own National Defense Strategy to protect our country from growing threats around the world. This defense budget is a serious indication of President Biden’s failure to prioritize national security.” (Sen. Wicker, Press Release, 3/9/2023)

• SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS: “Accounting for inflation, the President has now asked Congress to cut military spending for three years in a row, despite a worsening threat environment. Wicker, along with overwhelming bipartisan majorities in Congress, has voted twice now to override the President’s defense budget and align it with the United States’ national strategy.” (Sen. Wicker, Press Release, 3/09/2023)

SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS: “Ignoring the reality of growing worldwide threats, the budget fails to adequately fund defense. The Biden Budget proposes a minimal increase for defense in 2024, followed by funding levels that fail to keep up with inflation.” (U.S. Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member, Press Release, 3/09/2023)

Biden Is ‘Asking For A Real Defense Cut, Even As The U.S. Is Waking Up Late To A World Of New Threats’

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD: “The White House is touting President Biden’s U.S. military budget for fiscal 2024 as a record, and Mr. Biden is betting busy Americans won’t look past the headlines. The truth is that he’s asking for a real defense cut, even as the U.S. is waking up late to a world of new threats. The Pentagon’s budget request may seem large at $842 billion. But the figure is only a 3.2% increase over last year, and with inflation at 6% it means a decline in buying power. Compare the 3.2% growth with the double-digit increases for domestic accounts: 19% for the Environmental Protection Agency; 13.6% for both the Education and Energy Departments; 11.5% for Health and Human Services. For all the talk about a bloated Pentagon, defense in 2022 was only about 13% of the federal budget. It’s about 3% of GDP, down from 5% to 6% during the Cold War, even though America’s challenges today are arguably more numerous and acute. China is building a world-class military to drive America out of the Pacific. Russia is committed to grinding down Ukraine and then moving its military to the Polish border; Iran may soon have a nuclear bomb; North Korea is lobbing missiles toward Japan. Hypersonics and missiles threaten the U.S. homeland.” (Editorial, “About That ‘Record’ Defense Budget,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/09/2023)

• “The White House includes bromides about America’s ‘long-term commitment to the Indo-Pacific’ and highlights $9.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. But Pacific deterrence depends on a U.S. Navy large enough to discourage bad behavior, and the goal of a 355-ship service remains a fantasy. The document promises ‘executable and responsible’ investments in the fleet, which is a euphemism for cutting ships without adequate replacements. The budget commits to ‘ongoing nuclear modernization,’ but recapitalizing all three parts of the triad is a generational challenge that is straining budgets… Mr. Biden’s largest failure is promising his budget will keep ‘America safe,’ instead of leveling with the public about the threats and what will be required to meet them. The reality is that U.S. military power is ‘slowly sinking,’ as a Navy admiral put it last year, and Congress will have to start plugging the hole.” (Editorial, “About That ‘Record’ Defense Budget,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/09/2023)

Biden’s Budget Would Massively Boost Spending On Agencies Like The EPA, NSF, IRS, And Labor Department, While Defense Spending Fails To Keep Up With Inflation

Biden’s budget proposal would increase spending for the Defense Department by a smaller percentage than increases for the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Labor Department, the Commerce Department, and the IRS. (The Washington Post, 3/09/2023)

(The Washington Post, 3/09/2023)

In Fact, Biden’s Budget Would Increase Funding For The IRS by 15%, FIVE TIMES The Percentage He Wants For Defense, On Top Of The $80 Billion Democrats Showered The Agency With Last Year

“President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2024 budget request includes a 15 percent increase to the IRS’ annual funding … The budget released Thursday seeks $14.1 billion for the IRS in 2024, a $1.8 billion increase over the enacted funding levels for 2023.” (“Biden Seeks Double-Digit Increase To IRS Budget, Targeting Tax Gap,” Politico Pro, 3/09/2023)

• “Couple IRS notes from the budget. Administration is seeking a 15% increase in the base budget for the agency, on top of the $80 billion. And it's also seeking >$14B a year in mandatory funding for 2032 and 2033 after the $80 billion runs out.” (The Wall Street Journal’s Richard Rubin, @RichardRubinDC, Twitter, 3/09/2023)

Year-Over-Year Inflation In February Was 6%

“New data released Tuesday morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that prices rose 6 percent in February compared with the year before…. Prices rose 0.4 percent in February compared with the month before.” (The Washington Post, 3/14/2023)

U.S. Weapons Stockpiles Are Depleted And The Defense Industrial Base Is Struggling To Replenish The Military’s Arsenal, ‘Making It Important To Make Changes Now’

‘The War In Ukraine Has Also Exposed Serious Deficiencies In The U.S. Defense Industrial Base’

CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: “The U.S. defense industrial base is not adequately prepared for the international security environment that now exists. In a major regional conflict—such as a war with China in the Taiwan Strait—the U.S. use of munitions would likely exceed the current stockpiles of the U.S. Department of Defense. According to the results of a series of CSIS war games, the United States would likely run out of some munitions—such as long-range, precision-guided munitions—in less than one week in a Taiwan Strait conflict. The war in Ukraine has also exposed serious deficiencies in the U.S. defense industrial base and serves as a stark reminder that a protracted conflict is likely to be an industrial war that requires a defense industry able to manufacture enough munitions, weapons systems, and matériel to replace depleted stockpiles.” (“Empty Bins in a Wartime Environment: The Challenge to the U.S. Defense Industrial Base,” Center for Strategic & International Studies, 1/23/2023)

• CSIS: “The war in Ukraine has also exposed serious deficiencies in the U.S. defense industrial base. U.S. assistance to Ukraine has been critical to halting Russian revanchism and sending a message to China about the costs and risks of aggression—and needs to continue. But it has also depleted U.S. stocks of some types of weapons systems and munitions, such as Stinger surface-to-air missiles, 155 mm howitzers and ammunition, and Javelin anti-tank missile systems (especially the command launch units). The United States has been slow to replenish its arsenal, and the DoD has only placed on contract a fraction of the weapons it has sent to Ukraine. Many U.S. allies and partners in Europe also have defense industrial bases that are unprepared for major war, heavily reliant on the United States, and chronically underfunded.” (“Empty Bins in a Wartime Environment: The Challenge to the U.S. Defense Industrial Base,” Center for Strategic & International Studies, 1/23/2023)

• CSIS: “The history of industrial mobilization suggests that it will take years for the defense industrial base to produce and deliver sufficient quantities of critical weapons systems and munitions and recapitalize stocks that have been used up. It might take even longer to materialize facilities, infrastructure, and capital equipment, making it important to make changes now. The long timelines are manageable in peacetime but not in the competitive environment that now exists. The U.S. military services have underinvested in weapons systems and munitions for a conventional war, and the DoD’s acquisition system faces challenges in creating the incentives for industry to invest in sufficient stockpiles of key weapons systems.” (“Empty Bins in a Wartime Environment: The Challenge to the U.S. Defense Industrial Base,” Center for Strategic & International Studies, 1/23/2023)

“NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg warned this week that Ukraine was using ammunition at a rate ‘many times higher’ than countries in the alliance could produce, straining their defence industries. Ukrainian forces are estimated to be firing more than 5,000 artillery rounds daily, while Russia is estimated to be consuming four times that amount as it seeks to take territory in the east.” (“Ukraine War Pushes US To Review Arms Stockpiles,” Financial Times, 2/16/2023)

• “Much of that strain is being shouldered by American defense contractors. But even as the US embarks on an historic effort to re-arm, there are questions about whether it’ll be enough. As Ukraine prepares for a much-anticipated spring offensive in the coming weeks, the US is still years away from reaching its expected level of increased weapons production.” (“Ukraine Is Burning Through Ammunition Faster Than The US And NATO Can Produce It. Inside The Pentagon’s Plan To Close The Gap,” CNN, 2/17/2023)

GEN. MARK MILLEY, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “One of the lessons of this war is the very high consumption rates of conventional munitions, and we are re-examining our own stockages and our own plans to make sure that we got it right… Ammunition is very expensive.” (“Ukraine War Pushes US To Review Arms Stockpiles,” Financial Times, 2/16/2023)

In Every Iteration Of Nearly Two Dozen War Games Conducted By CSIS, The U.S. Exhausted Its Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles In The First Week Of A Hypothetical Conflict With China In The Taiwan Strait

CSIS: “Major regional conflicts will expend significant quantities of munitions, likely exceeding current DoD planning efforts. In nearly two dozen iterations of a CSIS war game that examined a U.S.-China war in the Taiwan Strait, the United States typically expended more than 5,000 longrange missiles in three weeks of conflict: 4,000 JASSMs, 450 LRASMs, 400 Harpoons, and 400 Tomahawk land-attack missiles (TLAMs). One of the most important munitions to prevent a Chinese seizure of all of Taiwan were long-range precision missiles, including missiles launched by U.S. submarines. The same is true of ship-based munitions, such as the SM-6, which would be expended in large quantities. LRASMs offer a useful case study. In every iteration of the war game, the United States expended its inventory of LRASMs within the first week of the conflict. These missiles were particularly useful because of their ability to strike Chinese naval forces from outside the range of Chinese air defenses.” (“Empty Bins in a Wartime Environment: The Challenge to the U.S. Defense Industrial Base,” Center for Strategic & International Studies, 1/23/2023)

‘The United States Is No Longer Investing In The Instruments Of Sea Power As It Once Did’: America’s Navy Continues To Shrink And ‘Has Struggled To Keep Even 100 Ships At Sea At All Times’

CAPT. JERRY HENDRIX, USN (Ret.): “The United States is no longer investing in the instruments of sea power as it once did.” (Jerry Hendrix, “The Age of American Naval Dominance Is Over,” The Atlantic, 3/13/2023)

• “The U.S. Navy, too, has been shrinking…. During the Obama administration, the Navy’s battle force bottomed out at 271 ships. Meanwhile, both China and Russia, in different ways, began to develop systems that would challenge the U.S.-led regime of global free trade on the high seas. Russia began to invest in highly sophisticated nuclear-powered submarines with the intention of being able to disrupt the oceanic link between NATO nations in Europe and North America. China, which for a time enjoyed double-digit GDP growth, expanded both its commercial and naval shipbuilding capacities. It tripled the size of the People’s Liberation Army-Navy and invested in long-range sensors and missiles that could allow it to interdict commercial and military ships more than 1,000 miles from its shores. Both Russia and China also sought to extend territorial claims into international waters, the aim being to control the free passage of shipping near their shores and in their perceived spheres of influence. In short: Autocratic powers are trying to close the global commons.” (Jerry Hendrix, “The Age of American Naval Dominance Is Over,” The Atlantic, 3/13/2023)

• “The Navy, however, is not just a wartime force. It has a peacetime mission unique among the military services: showing the flag and defending American interests by means of a consistent and credible forward presence. Commanders have identified 18 maritime regions of the world that require the near-continuous deployment of American ships to demonstrate our resolve. During the Cold War, the Navy maintained approximately 150 ships at sea on any given day. As the size of the fleet has fallen—to its present 293—the Navy has struggled to keep even 100 ships at sea at all times. The service’s admirals recently suggested a goal of having 75 ships ‘mission capable’ at any given moment. Right now the fleet has about 20 ships going through training workups and only about 40 actively deployed under regional combatant commanders. This has created vacuums in vital areas such as the Arctic Ocean and the Black Sea, which our enemies have been eager to fill. The chief of naval operations recently called for a fleet of some 500 ships.” (Jerry Hendrix, “The Age of American Naval Dominance Is Over,” The Atlantic, 3/13/2023)

“The Navy is proposing to drop its amphibious fleet below 31 ships, despite an agreement with the Marine Corps and a potential violation of last year’s defense policy law. Sent to Congress on Monday, the Navy’s proposed $255.8 billion 2024 budget aims to retire eight warships before the end of their intended service life, including three Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships, or LSDs, that it proposed to scrap last year but which were saved by the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act…. Despite the delivery of one LPD in 2024, the early retirement of the three LSDs would mean the total number of amphibs that year would drop below the legally required 31 ships minimum laid out in the 2023 NDAA, according to the budget documents.” (“Navy On Path To Violate 31-Amphibious-Ship Requirement in 2024,” DefenseOne, 3/13/2023)

Meanwhile, China Has Greater Warship Building Capacity Than The United States: ‘One [Chinese] Shipyard Has More Capacity Than All Of Our Shipyards Combined’

“China’s navy has significant advantages over its US rival, including a bigger fleet and greater shipbuilding capacity, as Beijing seeks to project its power across the oceans, the head of the United States Navy said Tuesday. Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said China ‘consistently attempts to violate the maritime sovereignty and economic well-being of other nations including our allies in the South China Sea and elsewhere.’ ‘They got a larger fleet now so they’re deploying that fleet globally,’ he said, adding that Washington must upgrade the US fleet in response.” (“US Can’t Keep Up With China’s Warship Building, Navy Secretary Says,” CNN, 2/22/2023)

• “China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy could be fielding up to 400 ships in the coming years, the Navy secretary said – up from about 340 now. Meanwhile, the US fleet sits at under 300 ships. According to the US Navy’s Navigation Plan 2022 released last summer, the Pentagon’s goal is to have 350 manned ships by 2045 – still well short of the projection for China’s fleet. Before that target is met, however, the US fleet is expected to shrink as older vessels are retired, according to a November report from the US Congressional Budget Office.” (“US Can’t Keep Up With China’s Warship Building, Navy Secretary Says,” CNN, 2/22/2023)

• “Del Toro said Tuesday that US naval shipyards can’t match the output of Chinese ones. As with fleet size, it’s about numbers. ‘They have 13 shipyards, in some cases their shipyard has more capacity – one shipyard has more capacity than all of our shipyards combined. That presents a real threat,’ he claimed. Del Toro did not give a breakdown of those shipyards, but Chinese and Western reports say China has six major and two smaller shipyards building naval vessels. … But no matter the number of shipyards, they need workers, and Del Toro says China has a numerical advantage there, largely because it is free of the restrictions, regulations and economic pressures that affect labor in the US.” (“US Can’t Keep Up With China’s Warship Building, Navy Secretary Says,” CNN, 2/22/2023)

According To A Recent Pentagon Report, China Is Aiming To Complete Its Military Modernization By 2027 As It ‘Pursues Taiwan Unification’

China Is Increasing Its Military Spending By Around 7 Percent But ‘Its Actual Military-Related Spending Is Likely Significantly Higher Than What It States In Its Official Budget’

“In 2021, the PRC announced its annual military budget would increase by 6.8 percent, continuing more than 20 years of annual defense spending increases and sustaining its position as the second-largest military spender in the world. As the PRC’s published military budget omits several major categories of expenditures, its actual military-related spending is likely significantly higher than what it states in its official budget.” (“Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” U.S. Department of Defense, 11/29/2022)

China Has A Military Modernization Objective Of 2027 ‘To Be A More Credible Military Tool For The Chinese Communist Party To Wield As It Pursues Taiwan Unification’

“In 2021, the PRC increasingly turned to the [People’s Liberation Army] as an instrument of statecraft as it adopted more coercive and aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region. Having purportedly achieved its 2020 modernization goal, the PLA now sets its sights to 2027 with a goal to accelerate the integrated development of mechanization, information, and intelligentization of the PRC’s armed forces. If realized, this 2027 objective could give the PLA capabilities to be a more credible military tool for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to wield as it pursues Taiwan unification.” (“Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” U.S. Department of Defense, 11/29/2022)

“In 2021, the PLA continued to make progress implementing major structural reforms, fielding modern indigenous systems, building readiness, and strengthening its competency to conduct joint operations.” (“Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” U.S. Department of Defense, 11/29/2022)

“The PRC has mobilized vast resources in support of its defense modernization, including through its Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) Development Strategy, as well as espionage activities to acquire sensitive, dual use, and military-grade equipment. The PRC has substantially reorganized its defense-industrial sector to improve weapon system research, development, acquisition, testing, evaluation, and production.” (“Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” U.S. Department of Defense, 11/29/2022)

China Is On Pace To Triple Its Nuclear Arsenal To 1,500 Warheads By 2035

“In 2020, the DoD estimated China’s operational nuclear warhead stockpile was in the low-200s and expected to double by 2030. However, Beijing probably accelerated its nuclear expansion, and DoD estimates this stockpile has now surpassed 400 operational nuclear warheads. … The PLA plans to ‘basically complete modernization’ of its national defense and armed forces by 2035. If China continues the pace of its nuclear expansion, it will likely field a stockpile of about 1,500 warheads by that time.” (“Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” U.S. Department of Defense, 11/29/2022)