A stark warning has been issued by a bipartisan commission of national security experts: the United States is dangerously unprepared for a potential global conflict, Fox News reports.
Decades of declining defense spending and a failure to adequately address the growing threat of authoritarian nations have left the US military and the public dangerously vulnerable.
The commission, formed in 2022 by Congress to evaluate the Biden administration’s national security strategy, released a scathing report in late July. Their findings paint a picture of a nation caught off guard, potentially facing a multi-front war against a united axis of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
“We are not prepared to counter Beijing in open conflict, let alone a multi-front war,” the report states.
The commission, comprised of experienced figures from the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama administrations, stressed that the lack of preparedness is a systemic failure, not a fault of any single administration. They stressed the decreasing defense spending since the post-Cold War era, with the US allocating only 3% of its GDP for defense, a sharp decline from the nearly 17% allocated in 1952. This lack of investment has left the US at a disadvantage, particularly when facing adversaries like China, who have been steadily bolstering their military and economic capabilities.
The report also outlines the worrying reality of a limited munitions supply. Even with recent increases in military spending following the Ukrainian conflict, the US would likely exhaust its ammunition reserves within three to four weeks of a full-scale conflict with China. Essential weapons like anti-ship missiles could run out within days, leaving the US vulnerable and requiring years to replenish.
The commission stressed that a global conflict would be substantially more costly and lengthy than the recent wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine.
“The United States must therefore ready its forces and its industrial base for the potential of protracted conflict,” the report states.
The experts stressed the need to recognize the changing geopolitical landscape. The world is no longer dealing with isolated conflicts or rogue militants, but with a rising threat of a united front of powerful nations. The US must address this changing threat with a renewed focus on defense and a more proactive approach to global engagement.
While the commission stressed the need for increased military spending, they also cautioned that merely throwing money at the problem won’t solve the issue. A cultural shift is equally critical. Commissioner Mara Rudman, a veteran of both the Clinton and Obama administrations, pointed to China’s decades-long strategic advantage, built through investments in technology and forging relationships in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
This comprehensive approach, she stressed, has put the US at a disadvantage. Adding to the concern, the experts outlined a growing isolationist sentiment within Republican circles, mirroring the pre-World War II era. This trend threatens to further undermine America’s ability to navigate the complex geopolitical landscape. The commission has stressed the critical need for public education and trust in leadership, recommending greater transparency from government institutions and a more accessible communication strategy to empower citizens to make informed decisions about national security. However, their message appears to have fallen on deaf ears. While the Biden-Harris administration has not publicly commented on the report, former President Trump dismissed it as “stupid” during a rally in late August.
