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‘Can We Actually Build It?’ Defense Industry Leaders Look Ahead to Uncertain 2023
Defense OneNov 25, 2022
The Facts
On Thursday, the US House of Representatives approved legislation paving the way for the defense budget to hit a record $858B in 2023 — $45B more than proposed by Pres. Biden.
The House approved a compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a count of 350-80. This surpassed the two-thirds majority required to send the bill to the Senate.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Beyond the headline-grabbing, non-spending provisions in this bill is a bloated budget that doesn’t even take into account inflation or what it’ll cost to replace weapons the US has given to Ukraine. The increased spending is just going to buy the military more weapons — and not even ones geared toward modern-day challenges and threats. This bill deserves more scrutiny from politicians, the press, and citizens.
Pro-establishment narrative
For the US to fulfill its obligations to defend its allies across the globe, and defend itself, it needs even more spending. Military spending as part of the Gross Domestic Product is actually less than it has averaged over the past 50 years. All branches are short of personnel, ships are poorly maintained, and it’s doubtful the weapons industry would be able to meet the country’s needs in case of a conflict. There must be a commitment to spending more on US national defense.
