The Patriot Post® · RNC: Biden's Policies Have Weakened the U.S. Military
By the Republican National Committee
BIDEN HAS REPEATEDLY PUT AMERICA LAST
- Biden has put little emphasis on prioritizing U.S. national security, spending his presidency crushing America’s military strength while strengthening dangerous regimes.
- Since taking office, the Biden administration has made America less safe, emboldened our enemies, made our allies question our reliability, and made America dependent on foreign oil again.
- Under Biden’s leadership, wokeness is being prioritized over training and combat effectiveness, as the United States faces a shortfall of troops coupled with a decline in military readiness.
- Americans’ confidence in the U.S. military is now at its lowest in two decades, according to a Gallup poll.
- American military readiness is vital as Putin has signed decrees to increase the size of Russian armed forces and China’s navy continues to surpass America as the world’s largest fleet.
BIDEN IS UNDERMINING AMERICA’S MILITARY CAPABILITIES
- The U.S. Army is considering cutting 10 to 20 percent of their special operations forces, a move that experts believe would be “crippling” and “devastating.”
- Between FY 2019 and FY 2023, the Army lost nearly $40 billion in buying power, and the FY 2024 budget request represents a 3.3 percent decrease from the previous year.
- The U.S. Naval fleet is projected to remain below 300 ships until the late 2030s.
- Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday said that the U.S. Navy would “need a naval force of over 500 ships” to meet its commitments to the National Defense Strategy.
- U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said that U.S. naval shipyards can’t match the output of Chinese ones, claiming that “one [Chinese] shipyard has more capacity than all of our shipyards combined” and “that presents a real threat.”
- The U.S. Air Force is set to divest 1,468 aircraft over five years, leading to a net reduction of over 1,000 aircraft.
- On top of this, the U.S. military is currently facing unprecedented recruiting difficulties under Biden.
- The Navy is set to miss its fiscal year recruiting goals for enlisted sailors by nearly 16 percent.
- The Army is suffering the worst recruiting shortfall in five decades.
- Due to a “shortfall in the FY23 Military Personnel Appropriation,” the Air Force has been forced to pause duty assignments and reenlistment and retention bonuses, as well as extend deployments.
BIDEN’S BUDGET PUTS U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY AT RISK
- Biden’s budget aims to decrease costs and readiness now and push the responsibility down the road to a future commander-in-chief.
- Biden’s budget would shortchange America’s military, with defense funding failing to keep pace with inflation.
- Center for Strategic and International Studies Senior Adviser Mark Cancian: “For defense, this is a pretty substantial step backwards.”
- The FY 2024 defense budget request is only a 0.8 percent increase in real terms, but will be a net decrease if inflation remains above 2.4 percent.
- This comes as intelligence officials admit that the real Chinese military budget is closer to $700 billion.
- This year’s budget seeks to let go of eight ships, including three amphibs, before the end of their service lives.
THE RISE OF WOKENESS IN THE MILITARY UNDER BIDEN
- Biden has made far-left political propaganda an integral part of military training, putting his far-left woke agenda ahead of troop training standards.
- Biden’s nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., has a history of prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives while serving as the top commander of the U.S. Air Force.
- While Air Force Chief of Staff, Brown said, “diversity has moved to the forefront of personnel decisions such as promotions and hiring.”
- Brown said that “the beauty of” George Floyd’s death is that it forced the Air Force to take a “hard look at ourselves.”
- The FY 2024 defense budget has $114.7 million dedicated to “diversity and inclusion” activities.
- When House Republicans attempted to limit military DEI spending, the Biden administration doubled down on their efforts.
- On Biden’s watch, the Defense Department is injecting critical race theory into its education programs.
- The Air Force Academy admits that “tenets of critical race theory” are taught in its classrooms and has curriculum which tells cadets to avoid words like “mom and dad.”
- Rather than focus on ensuring success on the battlefield, the Biden administration has prioritized its climate agenda.
- Biden’s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm supports requiring the U.S. military to adopt an all-electric vehicle fleet by 2030.
- In the 2024 defense budget, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, “climate change will continue to shape the context for military operation.”
- The 2024 defense budget allocates $5.1 billion to “mitigate climate risk by investing in solutions that are mission essential and provide climate benefits.”
- A new “Federal Supplier Climate Risks and Resilience Rule” proposed by the Biden administration would force the defense industry to put the environment ahead of production.
- The Chinese Communist Party controls the minerals and supply chain needed for Biden’s agenda.
- The U.S. Navy recently hired an active-duty drag queen to be a “digital ambassador” in a drive to attract “the most talented and diverse workforce” and combat falling recruitment.