1、Author Date President Trump has promised a swift expansion in American military strength:adding 90,000 soldiers to the Army,bringing it to 540,000;building a 350-ship Navy;and adding more fighter aircraft to the Air Force.He colorfully promised to make the U.S.armed forces“so big,so powerful,so stro
2、ng,that nobodyabsolutely nobodyis gonna mess with us.”1 Many in Congress have also called for substantial increases in defense spending,citing readiness gaps caused by excessive wear and tear on a too-small force and concern that under-investment in new military capabilities will leave the U.S.unpre
3、pared to confront potential technologically sophisticated adversaries.But how much defense spending would shoring up the military take,and how should it be invested?Senator McCains recently released white paper,Restoring American Power,tries to frame the debate over the defense budget in FY 2018 and
4、 beyond.2 It lays out a big increase in defense spending,coupled with a detailed plan for how these spending increases will result in greater military capability.At$640 billion in base budget spending in FY 2018,growing to over$740 billion in FY 2022,Senator McCains defense budget would be some$430