Risky Cuts

Matt McCluskey / April 30, 2009

In the past year, Russia’s defense spending has risen 34 percent. China’s defense spending has risen 15 percent. Within the past four months, Iran and North Korea have tested missiles that could someday carry warheads to Europe or the United States.

With such conventional and asymmetric military capabilities rising around the world, what is the Obama Administration’s plan? To decrease overall defense spending, including on critical programs such as the F-22 stealth fighter, even though the U.S. Air Force has stated up to 60 more F-22s would be needed to maintain air superiority against Russian and Chinese fighters; development of the Navy’s next generation cruiser; and missile defense. Such decisions will affect our ability to protect the homeland and our allies from threats we can predict and those we cannot. (more…)