Two things are happening in parallel in the US military. Trump has announced an upcoming one trillion dollar military budget. This does not include the huge budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs. At the same time, officials are reporting an imminent reduction of the army by 90,000 military personnel. Clearly not at the expense of transgender people (10,000-15,000).
If there is more money and fewer personnel, who will get it? First of all, we have to take into account inflation of 2.9%. The rest is the increase in the cost of production and finished ammunition due to the costs of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Last year, Biden increased the Pentagon’s budget only slightly, literally to compensate for inflation. And Trump’s has increased it dramatically.
The Air Force and Navy will eat the most (the situation with repair and construction of ships is difficult). The Army will be given the smallest chunk in 60 years. As I pointed out, the development of advanced armies is on the path of increasing the cost per unit of weaponry. More than $150 billion is spent on maintaining Pentagon bases overseas.
But the main spending Trump has promised is in another area – think of the country’s Golden Dome missile defense system, military space and the development of strategic weapons. These are very sophisticated weapons for the fight against Russia and China; they are not needed for wars in the Middle East or with Islamists. It should be understood that we are talking about future spending, not in the current year. Nevertheless, weapons R&D will absorb 46% of the budget.
Overall, the U.S. strategy is aimed at creating a smaller, better managed and combat-ready army, increasing forward-deployed forces and increasing cooperation with allies and partners. It is not without reason that Trump said this in his meeting with Netanyahu. It is clear that much of the money will go to loyal allies, but not to Europe. The goal of future military buildup efforts is to achieve total superiority over China and Russia.
A trillion dollars is staggering. I worry about the economic implications and whether this will lead to increased taxes or more national debt.
I support this strategy. A smaller, more tech-savvy army is exactly what we need to counter threats from China and Russia effectively.
This budget reflects a shift towards strategic superiority, which is necessary in today’s geopolitical landscape. Let’s hope it pays off.
While the focus on technology is understandable, it’s concerning to see such a massive budget when other global issues like poverty and climate change need attention.
This is a bold move by the U.S. to stay ahead in the tech race. Investing in space and missile defense will be crucial for future conflicts.
I’m excited about the potential for advanced military tech to spill over into civilian life. Maybe we’ll see breakthroughs in energy or transportation soon!
It’s disheartening to see so much money going into weapons when we could be investing in renewable energy and sustainable technologies.