3. Improve ground forces and mobility capabilities. America must be able to defeat any conventional military force on the battlefield, that could potentially threaten U.S. national security interests. In order to achieve this, the U.S. must improve it advanced tactical missile program, attack helicopters, tanks, anti-tank weaponry, field artillery, battlefield and space based sensors and armored fighting vehicles. Moreover, the U.S. must improve its military airlift and sealift capabilities.
President Clinton's request for increased military spending is welcome news. For a federal program that has been cut each and every year since 1985, proponents of increased funding can breath a sigh of relief that the trend seems to have finally ended, and it did not take a major war that threatened America's uniformed personnel to do it. However, the U.S. armed forces have taken a toll. Some have given their lives flying ill-maintained and equipped planes. Some have suffered through lack of training because programs have been cut to pay for peacekeeping operations. Some have lost their families because they are deployed for six months a year. Some are at sea and away from their loved ones for even longer periods of time because there are not enough sailors to keep America's ships sailing.
These and many more situations are eating away at America's ability to defend itself. While there certainly is no one major world power that can single-handedly challenge America's fighting forces on all fronts the way the Soviet Union could during the Cold War, there are many smaller and just as lethal threats around. The fact is, threats to U.S. security have not diminished with the end of the Cold War, they have simply changed. In order to meet the current and future challenges America's military face and will face, the defense budget needs a healthy increase now.
