Budget cuts are threatening the Pentagon the resources it needs to fulfill the Obama administration’s plan for refocusing U.S. power toward Asia and the Pacific, according to a report issued Monday.
The report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies is the latest warning that cuts to defense imposed by a 2011 law are forcing the U.S. military into a corner against potential adversaries in the region — even as violence in the Middle East has not subsided as the administration expected and new challenges emerge such as Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.
“Without additional resources, U.S. leaders face a choice between sustaining existing capacity and developing new capabilities,” the report said. “Military challengers in Asia are simultaneously expanding capacity and advancing capability, made possible by rapidly growing defense budgets. … To keep pace with this growing challenge, the United States and its allies and partners will have to do the same.”
One of the lead authors of the report, Michael J. Green, noted that “the resource problem is going to become acute in the coming two years” if Congress and the administration don’t act soon to end mandatory sequestration cuts imposed by the 2011 Budget Control Act, which add up to almost $500 billion over 10 years.
But even with a new Republican Congress, there isn’t likely to be quick agreement on ending the cuts, which military officials have repeatedly warned will force them to make potentially dangerous choices. The cuts already have forced tradeoffs that have hurt efforts to develop new weapons and created a gap between what the military is expected to do — such as maintaining sufficient naval forces in the Pacific to deter potential adversaries — and the resources available to do the job.
“If the United States funds the current force at the expense of future capabilities, it risks the long-term viability of U.S. power projection. But if investments in the future force come at the expense of the current force, they risk the appearance of U.S. weakness and could invite near-term challenges,” the CSIS report said. “Therefore, congressional leaders must find a way to fund both current capacity and future capability.”
