A Dangerous World Calls for a Strong America
By Sen. John Thune
I often say, “If we don’t get national security right, the rest is just conversation.” In just the last year, we’ve seen our ally Israel come under attack from terrorists, and our own military has been attacked by Iran-backed militias 170 times, all while Russia and China continue their campaigns of aggression and strengthen their alliance with one another. Times like these underscore the need for American strength.
The reality is that we are not as prepared as we should be to address these threats. The weakness that the Biden-Harris administration has shown on the world stage has emboldened our adversaries. At the same time, our military readiness is not where it needs to be to deter aggression. We have service branches that are below their recruitment targets. We have planes that can’t fly and ships that can’t sail because of deferred maintenance. And we have shortages of munitions and weapons.
Last month, my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee put forward a National Defense Authorization Act for next year that takes steps to address the challenges we’re facing. It fully funds deterrence initiatives and strengthens partnerships to counter Russia and China. It makes critical efforts to modernize military technologies and strategies that will define tomorrow’s conflicts. And it authorizes the purchase of new combat vessels, vehicles, and aircraft to upgrade our aging fleets.
I’m particularly proud to report that this bill includes full funding for the next steps of the B-21 mission, including necessary support facilities. The Air Force calls this new plane the future backbone of its bomber force, and I am incredibly proud that its first mission will be hosted at South Dakota’s own Ellsworth Air Force Base. One of my top priorities is making sure that Ellsworth has everything it needs for this critical advancement in our nation’s defense.
The annual defense bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation we consider each year. I believe there should be a sense of urgency about getting it to the floor. My colleague Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) recently released a blueprint for making a generational investment in our military. He noted that our defense budget as a share of our economy has fallen to near record lows, and he proposes a defense buildup similar to President Reagan’s initiative in the 1980s.
We have no time to waste to build up our military, and the first step is getting this year’s defense bill passed in a timely manner. History has shown that weakness invites aggression. The strength of our military is the surest way we have of securing peace, and it must be a priority.
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