Defense: Congress should approve Pentagon request for more military spending

The Pentagon is asking Congress to increase defense spending by $30 billion over current levels.

Top military brass met with lawmakers this week to argue for the increase.

We believe the request is in the best interests of the country and that lawmakers should approve it. America cannot afford to allow its military strength to diminish, and in the past few years the defense budget has been stretched to the breaking point.

President Trump pledged on the campaign trail to rebuild the U.S. military, and this initial push for more money is the beginning of making good on that promise.

Defense spending has been trimmed over the past few years, to the detriment of the military. Sequestration, which put automatic caps on spending, needs to go. Our nation's military does not need to be hamstrung by arbitrary spending limits that reduce our military readiness.

As part of the request, the Air Force is seeking $6.2 billion in "unfunded priorities," which would permit the purchase of five additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. It would also allow the service to maintain an active-duty force of 322,000 airmen.

In this day and age, we cannot afford to become lax in our national security. Having a strong, capable military operating at its highest possible level is a necessity, not a luxury.

Published in Editorials on February 9, 2017 10:31 AM