Speaking to Congress in the wake of the outbreak of a conventional war in Europe that has shocked and galvanized the world, the president of the United States plugged spending more on pre-K, paid leave, Pell grants and community colleges.
What he didn’t mention was the defense budget.
President Biden has sounded stalwart notes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but he hasn’t called for what the coming era of increased geopolitical competition with Russia and China clearly demands: much more spending on defense, targeted in new ways.
The West’s response to Ukraine is a reminder that economic and financial sanctions can be powerful, and the same is true of soft power and moral umbrage. Yet what is happening on the ground this week is also a reminder that there is no substitute for hard power—for having the men and materiel to deter and, if it comes to that, defeat a foreign adversary.
Russia’s aggression underlines the potential that the U.S. may, at some point, find itself having to fight simultaneous wars in Europe and Asia, to defend NATO and to stave off a China attack on Taiwan or elsewhere. Our forces currently may not be adequate to winning one fight against a so-called peer competitor, let alone two.
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