As the US military continues to grapple with the threats posed by China, Congress must reduce wasteful spending within the Pentagon and maintain a balanced budget. According to Texas Representative Chip Roy, with fiscal discipline, military strength can be maintained in 2023, allowing our armed forces to remain strong and ready for action. 

Fiscal Discipline and Military Strength in 2023

The current state of the US military needs utmost attention; however, fiscal pressures have caused Congress to consider cutting defense spending as part of their 2023 budget proposal. Moreover, increased military spending at the Pentagon has led to irresponsible expenditures that could blunt our forces’ effectiveness if not addressed swiftly. Given these issues, Congress must prioritize fiscal discipline when considering its 2023 budget proposal to ensure that our armed forces remain strong and ready for action in the face of an increasingly aggressive Chinese threat.

As the world’s geopolitical landscape continues to evolve, the United States Army must remain strong and ready to protect our national interests and secure our strategic objectives. However, for America’s armed forces to remain an effective deterrent in 2023 and beyond, Congress must exercise caution when allocating defense funds and strive toward greater fiscal responsibility.

The primary aim must be restoring budgetary balance while ensuring that our military remains operationally prepared and adequately resourced. This requires sound management of resources at every level, from improving internal oversight mechanisms at the Pentagon to cutting unnecessary funding programs. Achieving this balance between operational readiness and resource efficiency begins with understanding how much money is needed to sustain a robust force capable of meeting current threats. According to a 2020 Center for Strategic Studies report, “defense spending should account for no more than 3 percent of GDP over a four-year period in order for defense budgets to remain sustainable without sacrificing operations or training capability.” Thus, Congress should be mindful of this figure when deciding how much money should bolster military strength in 2023.