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America’s aid campaign for Ukraine has opened the doors for a surge in domestic defense spending, both to refill stockpiles of weapons sent overseas and to bolster U.S. readiness against near-peer rivals.
President Biden requested $813 for the Pentagon for 2023, but Congress appears poised to pass an $858 billion budget plan. If passed, the money will go toward purchasing missiles for the Army, new weapons systems for the Navy and expanding ammunition plants, among other things, the New York Times reported Sunday.
The traditional measure of U.S. military readiness has been its capacity to supply and carry out two major conflicts in separate areas of the globe. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan argued last week that U.S. support for Ukraine has revealed weaknesses in that readiness.
“We went through six years of Stingers in 10 months,” Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes told NYT. “So it will take us multiple years to restock and replenish.”
AIR FORCE TO END BASIC TRAINING ‘BEAST WEEK’ IN FAVOR OF 36-HOUR FIELD TRAINING
A M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) takes part in a military exercise near Liepaja, Latvia September 26, 2022.
(Reuters)
US Pentagon in Washington, D.C. building looking down aerial view from above
HOUSE REPUBLICAN DEMANDS WEST POINT CEASE CRITICAL RACE THEORY TRAININGS TO MILITARY CADETS
China’s recent aggression toward Taiwan has also contributed to calls for more spending. Aid to the self-governed island has already been delayed, thanks in large part to the flow of weapons to Ukraine.
The U.S. has sent nearly $20 billion in military aid to Ukraine since February, so much that President Biden’s administration is struggling to keep track of how the aid is being used. The volume of U.S. aid to the country has given rise to some skeptics within the Republican Party, who are calling for greater accountability.
Nevertheless, funding conflicts with near-peer rivals is far more expensive than the asymmetric…
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