Joe Biden thought it couldn’t get any worse. That was a big mistake.
Because a devastating new military report hit Biden’s desk leaving him utterly speechless.
The United States military is already overwhelmed by reacting to foreign threats and isn’t strong enough to handle the most critical risks to American national security, according to research from the Heritage Foundation that was issued on Wednesday.
A report card for the U.S. military’s progress in relation to the global operating environment and adversaries’ capabilities, the 2024 Index of U.S. Military Strength, was rated as “weak” overall, according to editor and retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Dakota Wood. U.S. military shortcomings, including insufficient ammunition and weapon stocks and the capacity to respond to the president’s request to intervene in multiple crises at once, were brought to light in 2023 by the wars in Ukraine and Israel, as well as by the U.S. reaction to conflict exploding across the Middle East.
In its current form, the United States military poses a grave threat to the nation’s ability to protect its most important interests, according to the index’s introduction. The United States military was rated as “weak” for the second year running, meaning it lacks the necessary force to protect national interests abroad against real threats in the world, not the one we imagine.
Wood, a senior research fellow for defense programs at Heritage, said during a briefing prior to the report’s official release that the United States military as a whole, including its nuclear and missile defense capabilities, is too outdated, inadequate, and unprepared.
The gradual weakening of the United States military was attributed by Heritage to the following factors: funding mismanagement, a lack of discipline in the development and procurement of weapons systems, and the Pentagon’s choice to maintain personnel deployed for longer than anticipated.
Wood clarified that the assertion that the United States military is weak does not constitute an accusation against the persons serving in the military. “If you had to go up against Russia or China or Iran or some other actor in the world, you’re just not going to have a sufficient amount of military power to go out.”
The overall assessment remains unchanged from last year, however, the United States nuclear forces were downgraded from 2023 to 2024.
The Air Force was deemed “extremely weak,” the Navy “weak,” and the Army “marginal,” according to Heritage. Only the Marine Corps emerged unscathed, owing to its massive modernization initiatives aimed at a worst-case scenario conflict with China, as stated by Wood. However, the Corps is still too small to complete the objectives assigned to it by the Pentagon last year.
The Air Force was rated as the most inadequate branch, earning a “very weak” grade. According to the report, the country is so overwhelmed with its pilot shortage that it only has 75% of the fighter planes ready to go that might be used for two big battles at once. Not only that, pilots aren’t receiving nearly enough flight time — an average of fewer than 130 hours a year — which, according to what Wood told the DCNF, would have made them useless in combat during the Cold War.
The analysis made it clear that no fighter squadron in the Air Force had the necessary preparedness, ability, and confidence to compete with peer squadrons.
The Space Force, which is still in its early stages, was given a “marginal” rating due to its inexperience, outdated equipment, and staff.
Wood informed the media reporters that the United States’ nuclear forces are “ancient,” and that the replacement of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, which were in use throughout the Cold War, has run into monetary problems, necessitating involvement from the secretary of defense in order to prevent their termination.
There is a critical juncture about the need to replace or modernize nearly every part of the nuclear weapon sector, according to the research.
Wood brought attention to this as a major issue. To avoid disastrous nuclear escalation from peer threats such as China, all other U.S. military activities rely on a robust nuclear deterrent.
According to Wood, the current size of the United States Army is the lowest it has been since before WWII, and this comes at a time when many are claiming the country is more vulnerable than ever before. Active duty forces have decreased from 770,000 at the conclusion of the Cold War to 445,000 in 2023 from 452,000 in 2022.
According to Wood, the Army’s weapon systems are quickly becoming obsolete, and the force is becoming too small to react to many large regional conflicts simultaneously.
For instance, the M1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks were initiated in the 1960s. The Army has no plans to replace them until the 2050s, according to Wood, and the expense to maintain and service them is only going to increase as they age.
This index is “not a futures document,” as Wood noted. It compares the current force with the ways a more complex world with a wider variety of threats may endanger U.S. security.
According to Wood, the United States military is ready to dissuade and, if required, pursue a conflict with China. However, unforeseen circumstances might prompt a reaction from the United States at any moment. U.S. Navy deployments have been impacted by developments in the Middle East, such as the Houthi rebel organization in Yemen effectively blocking Red Sea cargo. It’s worth noting that a “weak” rating was given to the Navy.
Tactically, it has done a decent job of countering Houthi ground capabilities and shooting down drones and missiles fired at commercial ships, according to Wood. There is strain on the platforms and personnel as the organization strives and struggles to maintain a worldwide presence with a fleet that is half the size of what commanders believe they require.
As part of its Middle Eastern patrols in July, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the USS Bataan amphibious readiness group (ARG) went to the Persian Gulf. After being repeatedly extended, it was sent to the Mediterranean Sea to reinforce the USS Gerald R. Ford, an aircraft carrier that serves as a deterrent against anyone who might take advantage of Israel’s conflict with Hamas, according to Politico.
Politico reports that the Boxer ARG is currently in San Diego, California, for further training exercises, which has delayed its November replacement of the Bataan. Naval authorities have remained tight-lipped about the Boxer’s status, although they have hinted that the Bataan may stay on assignment “indefinitely.”
Speaking at a panel after the publication of the index, experts cautioned that the time to reconsider U.S. spending priorities is running out. Even after accounting for inflation, Wood claims that military equipment cost has grown at an exponential rate compared to increases in defense budget.
The study claims that the United States military cannot be adequately replaced, upgraded, or expanded with the current defense budget, which has failed to keep up with inflation. Despite an 8% increase in inflation, the U.S. defense budget rose 3.5% from 2023 to 2024.
“If we now get super real, this is not just about recognizing the threat,” stated Elbridge Colby, formerly the deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, during a Heritage discussion board on Wednesday. “We have to reevaluate like a business that’s about to go bankrupt.”
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
