Trump Calls for Defense Funding Boost to Give Military ‘the Tools They Need to Prevent War’
President Trump delivered an address aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford in Newport News, Virginia, Thursday afternoon, calling for a boost in defense spending to continue the United States’ military’s qualitative advantage.
The Ford is a state of the art aircraft carrier. It is the most expensive warship ever built, coming in at a price tag of just under $13 billion. The ship is almost ready for service and has not yet been officially delivered, but that could happen as soon as April. It is powered by two nuclear reactors, equipped with the latest advanced technologies, and can reach speeds of over 34 miles per hour.
“Wherever this ship flies her flag, she will be a symbol of US strength, made in America,” the president said from aboard the supercarrier.
“Our military requires sustained, stable funding to meet the growing needs placed in our defense,” Trump said in Newport News, adding that American fighter jets are “often more likely to be down for maintenance than to be up in the sky.”
“Our Navy is now the smallest it’s been since World War I. That’s a long time ago,” he commented.
Trump called for “modernized capabilities and greater force levels,” and an emphasis on cybersecurity improvements. “This great rebuilding effort will create many jobs throughout Virginia, and all across America,” the president added.
“America has always been the country that boldly leads the world into the future, and my budget will ensure we do so,” Trump concluded. American ships will sail the seas. American planes will soar the skies. American workers will build our fleets.”
The White House has recommended that Congress add $54 billion to the Defense Department budget, according to a draft proposal released Monday
“To keep America safe, we must provide the men and women of the United States military with the tools they need to prevent war — if they must — they have to fight and they only have to win,” the president said in his address to Congress Tuesday night.
Experts have evaluated that the United States military, at current readiness levels, would have difficulty engaging in more than one major conflict without sacrificing resources elsewhere
The Heritage Foundation’s 2017 Index of U.S. Military Strength found that “the consistent decline in funding and the consequent shrinking of the force over the past few years have placed it under significant pressure.”
Readiness levels are trending in the wrong direction, according to the Heritage analysis:
Essential maintenance continues to be deferred; the availability of fewer units for operational deployments increases the frequency and length of deployments; and old equipment is being extended while programmed replacements are either delayed or beset by developmental difficulties.
Moreover, the military index finds that the military has been forced to delay and/or cancel modernization efforts due to budgetary shortfalls. This hurts “America’s ability to shape conditions to its advantage by assuring allies and deterring competitors,” the analysis states.
“As currently postured, the U.S. military is only marginally able to meet the demands of defending America’s vital national interests,” a summary of the report concludes. (For more from the author of “Trump Calls for Defense Funding Boost to Give Military ‘the Tools They Need to Prevent War'” please click HERE)
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