US military's global edge has diminished, strategy review finds
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US Army soldiers arrive at Base Camp Donna, one of multiple military bases being set up along the US-Mexico border, in Donna, Texas, on Nov 8, 2018.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) - The Department of Defence's new focus on threats from China and Russia after almost two decades of fighting terrorism "too often rests on questionable assumptions and weak analysis", an independent bipartisan commission concluded in a sharply critical report issued on Wednesday (Nov 14) that challenges President Donald Trump's commitment to supporting a strong military.
Overall, the panel that was appointed last year by Congress praised the general direction of the National Defence Strategy that was issued in January by Defence Secretary James Mattis.
But it warned that projected budget shortfalls, overtaxed military forces around the globe and other risks were imperilling the plan, just as it was taking effect.
"America's longstanding military advantages have diminished," according to the wide-ranging, 90-page report. "The country's strategic margin for error has become distressingly small. Doubts about America's ability to deter and, if necessary, defeat opponents and honour its global commitments have proliferated."
While the defence strategy "represents a constructive first step in responding to this crisis", the report found, "it does not adequately explain how we should get there."
The National Defence Strategy represents a shift from fighting the insurgent wars of the last 17 years to large state-on-state conflicts.
Mr Trump has voiced a desire to end US involvement in the war in Afghanistan, and has chafed at keeping forces in Iraq and Syria.
Specifically, the strategy puts a higher priority on confronting China and Russia, as well as North Korea and Iran - a complex set of new and emerging threats.
Wednesday's report said China and Russia were seeking regional hegemony and pursuing aggressive military buildups aimed at neutralising US strengths.
Additionally, it said, threats posed by Iran and North Korea have worsened in recent years as both have developed more advanced weapons.
The commission also cited "political dysfunction" in the United States, as well as reductions in military spending imposed by budget caps.
The report said both have restrained the government from keeping pace with threats in what the panel called "a crisis of national security".
