Posted on 04/16/2020 6:39:09 PM PDT by cba123
A legislative bill would require the military to dedicate $6 billion a year to counter China, work with allies
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WASHINGTON—A push to shift U.S. military resources to Asia to counter Chinese influence is drawing new support in Congress, where a leading lawmaker wants to compel the Pentagon to invest at least $6 billion per year in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
The legislative effort seeks to mirror the dedicated funding stream provided for years to the U.S. European Command to counter Russia. That funding, known as the European Deterrence Initiative, has been the envy of China hawks who believe the Pentagon should dedicate at least as much in funding and resources to counter China as it does Russia.
The Pentagon has directed nearly $30 billion to efforts to counter Russia over the past seven years, while Defense Secretary Mark Esper last year called the Asia Pacific region the “priority theater.” The Pentagon budget in the current fiscal year is more than $700 billion.
“If it’s really going to be the priority theater, we need to put our money where our mouth is on that,” Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Texas), the sponsor of the new legislation, said. The legislation, which is being introduced Thursday, would designate the funding for the region and the military command that oversees it.
(Please see link for full article)
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
This is LONG, long overdue.
Like, ten years.
More, even.
I hope this never never never happens...
but the next world war will be in Asia.
“.....the next world war will be in Asia.”
We’d better be rid of the Democrats before that happens.
We’re doing it now. We are expanding our base in Guam, still clearing minefields from WWII. Shifting units from Okinawa.
............
Also building a big naval base near Darwin, Australia.
...........
Diego Garcia may sink from all the logistics we’re packing in there.
Like, ten years.
More, even.
I remember Don Rumsfeld talking about doing this, a few weeks before 9/11/01. Not surprisingly, those plans went by the wayside for almost twenty years because of the "War on Terror".
So much treasure wasted for no victory over islam.
But, if China wants a naval arms race, let’s give it them.
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