U.S. Military Now Too Weak To Defend The Nation, New Report Says

The United States military has become so “depleted” under the Obama administration that is now only “marginally able” to defend the country, a new Heritage Foundation report says.

According to the report compiled by security, armed forces, and foreign affairs experts who drafted the think tank’s U.S. Military Strength report, the branches are no longer able to meet President Obama’s goal of fighting two wars simultaneously.

Military cuts made to both the number of armed forces members and naval shifts under the direction by President Barack Obama have left America “under-powered.” As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Quadrennial Defense Review revealed in 2014 that the United States Army would be cut from 570,000 soldiers to 440,000. Those statistics reflect the lowest troop levels in the United States since World War II.

An excerpt from the U.S. Military Strength report reads, “The consistent decline in funding and the consequent shrinking of the U.S. Army are putting it under significant pressure. The cumulative effect of such factors has resulted in a US military that is marginally able to meet the demands of defending America’s vital national interests.”

The Heritage Foundation report also stated that the United States Navy would need at least 62 more ships in order to carry out two “large campaigns” at the same time. The Air Force fleet received a higher ranking of readiness and was judged as “strong” by the think tank. The U.S. Army has reportedly been able to commit at least 21 brigade combat teams to a single war, but would now “struggle” with doing so and have enough soldiers and equipment in reserve to defend the nation in multiple theaters, the report also maintained.

House Armed Services Committee member Randy Forbes deemed the results of the study “stark.” Forbes also stated that the military readiness report highlights both the capacity and capability issues within the armed forces. He blamed these shortfalls on “years of irresponsible budget cuts.”

Forbes also had this to say about the state of the United States Military.

“If you listen to the Army, they will give testimony that they can no longer guarantee. You talk about two wars – they testified they can’t guarantee that we could win one war. The Navy will tell you if we get to 260 ships, we cease to be a superpower – we become a regional power.”

The Pentagon budget cuts during the Obama administration reportedly reduced military spending from $527 billion in 2010 to approximately $496 billion today.

“The US military itself is aging. It’s shrinking in size. It’s quickly becoming problematic in terms of being able to address more than one major conflict,” former Marine Corps officer and Heritage Foundation analyst Dakota Wood said.

What do you think about the military readiness report by the Heritage Foundation?

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