4. Department of Defense (Summary)

Author: Christopher Miller

Summary:

• Historical Context and Current Challenges: The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is the largest part of the federal government, with nearly 3 million personnel and an annual budget of around $850 billion. Despite its size, the DOD faces significant challenges, including a decline in public trust, misuse of resources, shifting security policies, and politicization.
• Priorities for Improvement:
  1. Command Accountability: Reestablish a culture of command accountability and focus on warfighting while avoiding politicization.
  2. Transformation for Great-Power Competition: Modernize the armed forces to enhance effectiveness, especially in the context of competition with major powers like China.
  3. Support for Border Protection: Emphasize the role of the DOD in supporting Homeland Security’s border protection efforts.
  4. Financial Transparency: Improve financial transparency and accountability within the DOD.
• Primary Threats:
  • China: Identified as the most significant threat, with its military buildup and nuclear expansion posing serious challenges to U.S. interests, particularly in Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region.
  • Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Terrorism: These also pose real threats that the U.S. must address with clear strategies and adequate resources.
• Policy Recommendations:
  • Focus on China: Prioritize defense planning against China, particularly in defending Taiwan.
  • Increase Allied Contributions: Encourage greater conventional defense efforts from U.S. allies to share the burden.
  • Nuclear Modernization: Expand and modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal to deter threats from Russia and China.
  • Strengthen Defense Industrial Base: Improve the defense industry supply chain and promote innovation.
• DOD Acquisition and Sustainment: Reform the acquisition process to be more flexible and responsive to technological changes, ensuring warfighters have the best possible equipment.
• Research and Development: Emphasize rapid deployment of new technologies and protect the U.S. innovation ecosystem from foreign exploitation.
• Foreign Military Sales: Regain the U.S.’s role as the “Arsenal of Democracy” by streamlining processes and reducing bureaucratic delays.
• Personnel and Intelligence: Address recruitment challenges, depoliticize the military, and improve intelligence processes to better align with national security needs.

Analysis:

• Improved Command Accountability: Implementing stricter accountability could restore trust in the military and enhance its effectiveness.
• Focus on China: Prioritizing defense against China, particularly in the defense of Taiwan, could prevent Beijing’s dominance in Asia, but may require significant resources and a shift in global military focus.
• Allied Burden-Sharing: Encouraging allies to take on more conventional defense responsibilities could reduce the U.S.’s financial and military strain but might also lead to tensions if allies perceive this as an imposition.
• Nuclear Expansion: Expanding the U.S. nuclear arsenal could deter adversaries but may also escalate arms races, particularly with China and Russia.
• Financial and Acquisition Reforms: Financial transparency and reforming the DOD’s acquisition process could lead to more efficient use of resources and quicker adaptation to new threats.

Tags:

• U.S. Military
• Defense Strategy
• China Threat
• Military Modernization
• National Security

Read the original chapter text here: https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf#page=124

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