A new study by The Heritage Foundation has claimed that the US military is “weak” and at risk of not being able to defend the country’s vital national interests.
The DC-based conservative think tank measured America’s military power on three major criteria: capability, capacity, and readiness.
It found that the US military would not be able to meet the demands of a single major regional conflict while also maintaining presence in other parts of the world.
The US armed forces are also reportedly “ill-equipped” to handle two major conflicts simultaneously – a situation made more difficult by the “generally weak” posture of its key allies.
“This is the inevitable result of years of prolonged deployments, underfunding, poorly defined priorities, wildly shifting security policies, exceedingly poor discipline in program execution, and a profound lack of seriousness across the national security establishment even as threats to US interests have surged,” according to study conclusions.
Exacerbated by Ongoing Wars
The US military’s “weak” status is compounded by the country’s massive support for Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
Washington remains Kyiv’s largest military donor, providing more than $45 billion in weapons and equipment to counter Russia.
According to the group, the donations, as well as the limited willingness of European allies to shoulder a greater share of the support burden, are negatively affecting US readiness.
In addition, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has impacted America’s defense posture because the US has provided equipment, munitions, and missile systems to Jerusalem.
“These wars have laid bare the limited inventories of equipment, munitions, and supplies of all supporting countries as well as the limitations of the industrial base that will be required to replenish them, especially in the US, which must always look to its core national security interests,” the report noted.
Contrasting Reports
In an interview with Fox News, a Pentagon spokesperson refuted the results of the study, saying the US military is the “strongest fighting force” in the world.
He appeared to be referring to a recent ranking released by Global Firepower, which indicates that the US has the world’s most powerful military.
The US military took the top spot after ranking high on various criteria, including number of troops, military equipment, and financial stability.
