Readiness of the Military

With no ongoing major wars at the moment, there has been a debate over the readiness of the US military for emergencies. While it is important to keep our military strong and ready, some people fear that if we spend too much in the defense industry, there will be cuts to other things in the country that are equally as important.

Military power at the basic level is people and equipment. This is the amount of personnel ready at a moments notice and the amount of functional weapons, tanks, ships, airplanes, and supporting tools. However, this number does not fully measure the readiness of a country's military. For example, the US military might have over 1,000 tanks at the ready, but its next conflict might be over water, or in the air. Simply put, it is hard to predict this country's next major issue, and therefore, it would be hard to prepare for it. What makes countries successful in war is their ability to match the tools of warfare to a specific task and employing those tools effectively in the conditions of the battle. Another issue is that not quantitative but qualitative. Does the US have enough skilled individuals still active that can operate these tools effectively. Again there is an uncertainty with this because a nation will not know what issues it may be involved with in the future.

At the end of each year the Secretary of Defense and the military submit a budget request to congress that basically asks congress for a certain amount of money for the year based on a few things. They take into account things like national interests, threats, and more. They also calculate the worst case scenario, which is a future that requires the most amount of challenges the US military faces in the world. The administration is also constantly redefines what a threat is to the US. One obvious example is the declining threat of a nuclear war after the end of Soviet Russia.  We know that during the Cold War, there was a massive strain on the economy because they needed to produce large amounts of missiles and bombs to close the "missile gap." Also, there is a term called MCO, standing for Major Combat Operations. During WWII, the US economy was extremely prepared for war and were able to sustain two MCOs, one in Europe and one in the Pacific. Now, the Department of Defense is beginning to move away from the idea that the US needs to prepare for two MCOs. However, since WWII, that it has been the country's standard. Recently, the US labeled China as a growing threat in Asia not because of their military but because of the growth of their economy. They are beginning to dominate more and more of the flow of money in Asia and economic growth leads to a greater potential military strength. There is one last variable when it comes to this budget request which is whether or not the US will fight its conflict alone. Aid from other countries will mean less on our part but a solo war would involve more.

The readiness of our military today is still fairly prepared. The US is still able to sustain two MCOs if needed but cuts are slowly being made. There is also the idea that our next major war will not be with soldiers or tanks but with drones and nuclear weapons.

Source:

https://www.heritage.org/military-strength/assessment-us-military-power