Plausible alternatives to a grand strategy of primacy, which by its very definition entails American dominance in all domains and in every region of the world, are frequently dismissed by the powers-that-be as insufficient, dangerous, or, more disingenuous still, an invitation to Chinese expansionism. The fundamental reason for this phenomenon (outside of lawmakers in military-friendly districts who want to keep as many military-related jobs as possible) is the near-total absence within the US foreign policy community of a discussion about strategy.
While responsible competition with China certainly requires resources, particularly for the US Navy, this only partly explains why military spending continues to increase at a steady clip. Logic would suggest that if the era of endless wars is supposedly over, as the Biden administration proclaims (there are strong reasons to doubt that, of course), then defense spending should be going down, not up. When all is said and done, the US will spend more on defense today than when it was fighting the Korean and Vietnam wars.
The House vote comes several months after the Senate Armed Services Committee easily passed its own iteration of the defense policy bill, complete with an additional $25 billion to buy more F-35s, F-15s, combat vehicles and another Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Amendments by members to either cut the defense budget by 10 percent or bring the numbers into line with Biden’s original request were stricken down.
It’s a mammoth 1,362-page bill that piled an additional $25 billion onto what President Joe Biden had submitted in his own $753 billion budget request. Last week, the House of Representatives passed its own version of the National Defense Authorization Act by a resounding 316-113 vote. The defense budgeting process is usually like a boring movie, where the conclusion is foreseen about 10 minutes into the flick. Usually Pentagon funding amounts to a pro-forma love-fest with a result - higher military spending - that is basically baked in. But there is one agenda item that traditionally brings lawmakers together: the defense budget. The United States Congress is divided on pretty much everything these days.
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