a. Status of U.S. military during previous administration
1) Trump installed a highly capable defense team that systematically addressed military deficiencies inherited from the Obama years. His plan included:
- Increased funding for readiness—by increasing defense outlays 25% between 2016 and 2020.
- Investment in core warfighting systems. Outlays for R&D increased over 50% between 2016 and 2020.
- Modernization of nuclear forces. Following release of a nuclear posture review, the Trump Administration affirmed plans to modernize all three legs of the strategic arsenal—sea-based missiles, land-based missiles and bombers—while making major upgrades to the command network and revitalizing industrial facilities.
- Bolstering resilience in space—a sixth branch of the military called the Space Force, a unified command, a dedicated Space Development Agency, and other bureaucratic constructs.
- Pressing allies to do their part. Trump was not shy about telling allies they must do more to support collective security, especially NATO.
2) Trump’s plan for withdrawal from Afghanistan—Trump administration laid out strategic plans for an Afghanistan withdrawal that they offered to Biden’s team. It included:
- a conditions-based withdrawal, where the U.S. military would leave the country in increments if the Taliban met certain conditions.
- U.S. would keep a special operations contingent in place and would hold the capacity to launch air strikes under specific circumstances.
- We would not have ever relinquished control of Bagram Airfield, because that is our command and control node for the entire region and that’s where we would fly in and out securely. (It would also give us a base with easy access to China, if ever needed.)
3) No wars were begun during this administration.
b. Status of U.S. military during current administration
1) Biden’s first defense budget expanded mission without growing resources
- The first defense budget of this administration was a modest decline—two points down in 2020, another two percentage points of loss in 2021, not even keeping pace with inflation.
- The stated defense priorities were COVID-19 response and climate change.
- In August 2021, the Secretary of Defense issued a mandate that all active duty military personnel receive the Covid-19 vaccine. More than 17,000 service members balked at taking the shots. A repeal of the mandate was forced in January 2023. Overall, a total of 8,339 service members were separated from the service for refusing the vaccine.
- For the Navy’s “Great Green Fleet”, the service chose to power a carrier group with a green-fuels blend that cost about four times more per gallon than conventional fuels — earning bipartisan criticism.
2) The transgender military ban was reversed.
3) Afghanistan debacle
- 20 years of blood and sacrifice were squandered, America was reopened to the threat of terrorist attacks, and the United States’ credibility on the world stage was damaged.
- By the administration’s own admission, it abandoned hundreds of Americans and left thousands of Afghan allies vulnerable to the murderous Taliban.
- Thirteen U.S. service members tragically lost their lives to a suicide bomber in the rushed and chaotic evacuation.
- Because of cataclysmic mismanagement of the withdrawal, Afghanistan is once again a breeding ground for terrorism.
- A memo sent from the Kabul Embassy warned that the withdrawal as planned by Biden would result in the very debacle that unfolded.
- In only nine months, this administration’s miscalculations have weakened our allies, emboldened our adversaries, and left Americans less safe.
4) U.S. Military Struggling: ‘Like a Business That’s About to Go Bankrupt’
- Chronic recruiting shortages and increased global deployments are straining its capabilities.
- There are deficiencies in ammunition reserves, weapons capabilities, and readiness to respond to multiple crises.
- The U.S. military is at significant risk of not being able to defend America’s vital national interests
(This is crazy! How did this happen in such a short time? See How Did We Get Here?)