Analysis: How does the US military need strengthening?

[nitpicker]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39112925

Analysis: How does the US military need strengthening?

Jonathan Marcus
Diplomatic correspondent


28 February 2017

From the section US & Canada

President Donald Trump has proposed a 10% increase in the defence budget for next year, an addition of some $54bn (£43bn). This funding request is only the start of a budgetary process, but even at the outset the Trump figures are not quite what they seem. The outgoing Obama administration was also projecting an increase in defence spending in 2018 - up by about $35bn, so actually the Trump "increase" in dollar terms is some $19bn.

The Trump administration's numbers have already drawn criticism from leading law-makers on Capitol Hill. Senator John McCain, who chaired a bi-partisan panel on the re-building of the US military that reported in January, insists that the Trump Administration is not planning to spend enough. "With a world on fire,", said Mr McCain, "America cannot secure peace through strength with just 3% more than President Obama's budget...We can and must do better." He has argued for spending some $640bn on defence next year, in contrast to Mr Trump's $603bn, rising to a total of $800bn by 2022.

These are huge figures for a country whose defence budget already outstrips all of its main competitors. True, the US remains the only global military player. True, the world is changing - China and Russia are both proving more assertive in areas that they regard as being of key strategic concern. But the problems facing the US military also stem from fundamental technological changes, and a shift in what the US armed services might be expected to do.

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US generals have been hugely impressed with Russian artillery and electronic warfare capabilities displayed during the fighting in eastern Ukraine. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the US and its allies had near total dominance of the electronic spectrum and their forces are not as well-versed as they used to be in operating in a contested electronic environment.

The problems are evident for the US Navy and Air Force too. There have inevitably been periods when an aircraft carrier has not been available for deployment to the Middle East due to commitments in the Asia-Pacific region. And significant numbers of aircraft are temporarily out of service as they wait for either spare parts or a place in the long lines for maintenance.
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What is the Trump administration's strategy that the new recast US military will serve? Numbers are important - but they are only part of the story of military power. It is things like capability and readiness that matter. And how is this all tied together into a broader strategic vision?

The Trump defence spending boost will come at a cost. He wants to see the State Department's funding cut, including foreign aid spending. But many commentators - including former military men - have argued that this spending too is an integral part of maintaining order in an increasingly chaotic world. Diplomacy and military capability must go hand-in-hand. Again, the Trump administration appears to lack any real vision of how the multiple aspects of US power can work in concert.