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Peace through strength is an apt mantra, especially in these increasingly troubled times.

To keep the global peace, U.S. must remain top dog



WASHINGTON, D.C. — America’s military is shrinking — and not by accident. Over the last five years, Washington has slashed defense spending by almost 25 percent. Whether measured as a percentage of GDP or as a portion of the federal budget, the Pentagon’s operating budget is near historic lows for the modern era—and slated to go lower.
Shrinking funds necessitate shrinking forces. Critics decry that today we’re defended by the smallest arsenal of ships, planes and warriors since before World War II. That’s an interesting factoid, but not a compelling reason to rebuild the military. The real issue is: How much military do we really need? The Heritage Foundation will answer that question later this month, with publication of its third annual Index of U.S. Military Strength. It’s a comprehensive, objective review of not just the fighting capabilities of our armed forces, but the threats which they must be prepared to deal with and the environments in which they will have to operate. And it gives Americans the information they need to judge for themselves whether the Pentagon has what it needs to preserve freedom, protect our national interests abroad and keep us safe. Measuring the military starts with answering the question: Safe from what? The Index lays out three core missions for the armed forces. Job #1 is safeguarding the homeland from attack. ‘Nuff said.

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The military also plays an important role in ensuring the “freedom of the commons”—preventing others from closing the critical routes of commerce, travel, and communication on sea and in air, space, and cyberspace. Assuring freedom in these “commons,” owned by no nation, allows America and other nations to make their place in the world. The third vital mission it to help prevent major regional conflicts in the Europe, the Middle East and Asia. That task is important because a big war in any of these places could quickly become a very dangerous problem for us. Objectively grading the military’s capacity to fulfill these missions requires more than just adding up troop and equipment numbers and studying readiness assessments. You also have to assess the nature and acuteness of the threats in each key regions. Other factors—such as what our allies can contribute and the operating environment taking into account the geography and infrastructure in each region—go into determining our military strength. For three years running, this type of assessment has revealed U.S. military strength to be, at best, marginally capable of executing its three core missions successfully. Our vital national interests are at significant risk, and shrinking the military further will only make matters worse.

Our enemies have been happy to see our global influence and national defense waste away. It’s time for Washington to let them know that playtime is over. And that means rebuilding our military. The build-up must include ground and air forces—to bolster the resolve of NATO and contribute to the stability of Europe. Our naval forces must be strengthened too, sending a clear message that China won’t be pushing us out of Asia or the Pacific anytime soon. And we need to build up our missile defenses, so Iran and North Korea will have to abandon their dreams of being able to threaten others with nuclear holocaust. Other work needs doing as well. There’s much to be done. The sooner the build-up starts, the sooner our adversaries around the world will get the message that America is back and once more ready, able and willing to defend its legitimate interests around the globe. That’s not say we don’t need allies to do more or statecraft to convince bad people to stop doing bad things. But those efforts are most successful when there is a military to back them up. Peace through strength is an apt mantra, especially in these increasingly troubled times.


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James Jay Carafano -- Bio and Archives

A 25-year Army veteran, James Jay Carafano is vice president of Defense and Foreign Policy Studies for The Heritage Foundation, (Heritage.org), a conservative think-tank on Capitol Hill.  Readers may write him at Heritage, 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002.


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