Spending vs. Strategy

摘要

The fiscal 2014 defense budget proposal gives top priority to the Navy and Marine Corps, the maritime forces at the point of the Asia-Pacific strategy. 1. Under the request, Virginia-class submarine construction is revived at two per year over five years. 2. Congress is concerned about shipbuilding priorities, with only eight new ships funded. 3. Cruiser decommissionings are delayed, but the ships will not be modernized. The Department of the Navy (DoN) fared better in President Barack Obama's fiscal 2014 defense budget request than the Departments of the Army and Air Force, a reflection of the importance of the maritime services to the strategic shift to and emphasis on Asia and the Pacific.