Wicker plan to spend 5% of GDP on defense runs up against tough budget realities

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is calling for the defense budget to grow to 5% of gross domestic product, a proposal that would require either steep cuts elsewhere in the federal budget or cause the debt to soar.

Defense spending is currently under 3% of the GDP. Defense hawks have long advocated an increase in that percentage, especially as the United States stares down China in the Indo-Pacific, Russia in Europe, and various threats emanating from the Middle East.