Officials on a commission tasked with reviewing the Pentagon’s current defense strategy advised lawmakers Tuesday against the White House’s plan to push for a flat defense budget and recommended at least three percent growth in annual funding to address eroding military advantages against peer competitors.
The co-chairs of the congressionally mandated Commission On The National Defense Strategy told the Senate Armed Services Committee they recommend $733 billion as the floor value for the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2020 budget, above the administration’s expected cut down to $700 billion.
Tuesday’s hearing arrived after the commission released a report two weeks ago detailing the potential for a “grave crisis of national security” due to insufficient funding for force modernization priorities.
“In this report, I think it was the unanimous view of all commissioners that we are now on the cusp of a national security emergency because of the waning of our military advantages and the dangers that the current world presents,” Ambassador Eric Edelman, commission co-chair, said during his opening remarks. “While we applaud the direction the strategy moves us in, we did have a number of concerns. In particular, we are concerned that the strategy is not adequately resourced.”
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of SASC, called out “deep reductions” in defense spending over the last eight years and the potential for future cuts, while reiterating his support for a $733 billion budget.
“Their bipartisan report makes clear that our nation confronts stark choices,” Inhofe said. “To address our present national security crisis and restore America’s eroding military advantage, we have to fully resource and implement the National Defense Strategy. If we fail to do that, we must be prepared to endure American casualties and even possible defeat in wars that could have been avoided.
Edelman and his co-chair, former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, who retired in 2011, told the panel a three to five percent annual budget growth is required to adequately fund the Pentagon and reach capabilities to match competitors such as China and Russia, which have made technological investments.
“[They’re] investing billions of dollars in things such as artificial intelligence and 5G [communications], autonomy, hypersonics. And so we’re moving into a very new phase of warfare that I think has to be addressed. And it has to be addressed beyond the Department of Defense,” Roughead said.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, both testified to Congress previously that a three to five percent annual increase may be required.
Inhofe said his panel consider the commission’s assessment for a floor value of $733 billion as discussions continue with the White House regarding a potential budget cut.
“We got ourselves in this mess. We have to get ourselves out of this mess,” Inhofe said.