needs to increase its defense spending significantly to meet current and future global threats, according to a new plan from Sen.The senator argues that the U.S. defense industrial base is underfunded and unprepared for future conflict, and in order to correct this course of action, the annual defense budget should grow to 5% of the U.S. gross domestic product. The current figure is
Wicker’s report, which is titled “21st Century Peace Through Strength: A Generational Investment in the U.S. Military” and released on Wednesday, provides several recommendations across the services and domains with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
Wicker also believes the industrial base should be built up to deliver a 355-ship fleet and the purchase of at least 340 more aircraft in the next five years. Wicker’s plan is not the first time he has vocalized his belief that the military was not adequately prepared or preparing for what a future conflict could entail.President Joe Biden submitted to Congress a proposed fiscal 2025 budget request of $849.8 billion for the DOD last month, and Wicker argued it was “ignoring today’s very real challenges.”
As the administration worked through its 2025 budget request, it was handicapped by last year’s Fiscal Responsibility Act, which required it to be about a 1% increase from the fiscal 2024 request. But, due to inflation, the department effectively cut about $10 billion from last year’s plan.