General David Petraeus, USA (Ret.) and Michael O’Hanlon write: There is no need to return to significantly higher levels, such as the four percent of GDP that some have proposed. But nor would it be prudent to drop below three percent. That translates into perhaps $625 billion to $650 billion a year in constant dollars over the next few years for the overall national defense budget, including war costs (assuming they remain at roughly current amounts). That level is sensible and affordable, and what the next president should work with Congress to provide. – Foreign Affairs
Justin Johnson writes: Today’s men and women in uniform put their lives on the line for our country, but they are doing so with less training, worn out equipment, and fewer brothers and sisters in arms to back them up. With threats rising across the globe, all Americans should be concerned about the troubling state of the U.S. military. – Breaking Defense
- Thornberry and Krepinevich vs. Petraeus and O’Hanlon on defense spending
- Donnelly, Zakheim: The myth of the US military “readiness myth”