January 15, 2021
How the Defense Budget Could Actually Increase (Slightly)
Conventional wisdom is that defense spending will be cut or remain flat under the next administration. There is certainly reason to think it might. The president’s Fiscal Year 2021 request indicates a flat budget over the next five years and the Democratic platform advocates a reduction in defense spending. It is a safe bet that President-elect Joe Biden’s budget request will reduce or maintain the defense budget. Once all is said and done, though, it is more likely that defense spending will end up growing rather than shrinking. However, there remain several potential political complications that could prevent the Pentagon from benefitting.
Once all is said and done, it is more likely that defense spending will end up growing rather than shrinking.
Reaching a bipartisan budget deal for FY2022 (along with passing all corresponding appropriations bills) will be a tumultuous and slow process whose conclusion is by no means certain. Should a budget deal be reached, it will likely include an increase, if only slight, to defense spending.
Read the full article from War on the Rocks.
More from CNAS
-
‘Trump Will Use His Strength For Peace': Ex White House Official
Lisa Curtis, Director of Indo Pacific Security Program at the Centre For A New American Security, says that in his second term, Donald Trump has learnt to be careful with his ...
By Lisa Curtis
-
How Trump Will Change the World
Trump has won the chance to determine U.S. national security policy and will wield the impressive power embodied in the men and women now waiting to work for him....
By Peter Feaver
-
More than the Sum of its Parts: Developing a Coordinated U.S.-Australian Response to Potential Chinese Aggression
If China engaged in a war of aggression, the United States, Australia, and other nations would not have much time to develop a coordinated response....
By Stacie Pettyjohn
-
To Focus on China, U.S. Needs to Wean off Europe and Middle East Missions
If the United States cannot rebalance its military focus toward the Indo-Pacific it risks expediting Chinese aggression in the region and furthering the decline of the US-led ...
By Carlton Haelig