Setting Priorities on the Defense Budget

SUMMARY

This memo outlines Third Way’s support for the main principles of President Obama’s defense budget and argues that the near term priority must be on restoring and re-equipping our ground forces.

This memo argues that Congress must hold true to the two core principles outlined in the President’s budget request: restoring the ground forces to full strength and choosing priorities appropriately to pay for it. After seven years of war, America’s ground forces are seriously strained by a heavy operational tempo that has driven out good young leaders and senior NCOs and cycled troops back into battle again and again without sufficient time for rest, training and preparation.

We believe that the priority for defense spending must be on the ground forces by expanding the sizes of the Army and Marine Corps, investing in weapons and equipment to help them fight effectively, and enhancing home-front support to service members and their families.

To read this Memo, open the attached PDF