National Security Experts: U.S. Unprepared for Major War

The United States military is not prepared for a major international conflict, a national security expert told the New York Post on Tuesday. Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Center on Military and Political Power said, "Americans have a long tradition of slumbering until the national security crisis hits.

"Deterring aggression is less costly than fighting a war that could have been prevented. When deterrence fails, the primary bill payer for this dynamic are the men and women in uniform who do the fighting. We owe them better," he added.

Bowman's comments come two months after the Commission on the National Defense Strategy published a report criticizing President Joe Biden's 2022 National Defense Strategy and pointing out its many weaknesses.

According to the report, the commission found "the U.S. military lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat. It needs to do a better job of incorporating new technology at scale."

The report went on to say that while the U.S. is facing its biggest global threats since World War II, it hasn't been prepared to meet such challenges since the Cold War, which ended more than three decades ago. Bowman agreed with that assessment, calling it "clear-eyed, objective," and "fact-based."

Meanwhile, the Pentagon admitted last year that the U.S. "military services collectively missed recruiting goals by about 41,000 recruits" during fiscal year 2023. The report said, "Although the DoD workforce and all-volunteer force provide an unmatched U.S. advantage, today's is the smallest force in generations."

The national security assessment comes amid a looming Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government — and with it the military. House Republicans have floated a six-month continuing resolution but it's unclear how much support it has. A vote is expected Wednesday.

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