Think Tank: Increase Spending or Limit Ops

The U.S. faces the choice of either bolstering the defense budget or facing security challenges that would be impossible to meet, according to a new report by the RAND Corp., a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. David Ochmanek, a senior defense analyst at RAND and former Pentagon chief of force development, outlined potential threats posed by Russia in Europe and China in Asia that likely could not be overcome under the current budget climate. He also alluded to the rise of violent extremism in Iraq and Syria. If Russia were to invade the Baltic countries, for example, NATO would be unable to prevent it, Ochmanek said. Present U.S. strategy and defense policies are based on a stable Europe and a winding down of hostilities in the Middle East – neither of which has happened, he said as well. “If policymakers decide that these current challenges must be met, then U.S. deterrence in Europe and East Asia needs shoring up,” Ochmanek said.