(PatriotWise.com)- According to a study released by the US Department of Defense in April 2022, the US military’s logistics capabilities are “inadequate” to fight probable wars in Asia.
The Pentagon’s planned financial allocation for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) until 2023 is detailed in the document, with a persistent focus on China as the pacing challenge.
According to the statement, the money will increase the US military presence in Asia, improve logistics, conduct drills, create infrastructure, and assist friends and partners in the Indo-Pacific area in developing defense capabilities.
The Pentagon claimed that the current theater logistics posture and force sustainment capacity are insufficient to enable operations in a contested environment.
According to the document, more jet fuel storage is needed at the USMC air station in Iwakuni, Japan, to enable strategic en route refueling operations and force projection.
According to the Pentagon, the Yokota Air Base in Japan does not have the on-site fuel storage capacity to meet prolonged operations requirements.
It was said that bulk tanks would hold the war reserve jet fuel necessary to maintain contingency operations awaiting replenishment by tanker ships. This approach also allows for more cost-effective fuel replenishment and minimizes the number of resupply cycles required to meet the air station’s needs.
The Biden administration’s budget request for fiscal 2023 contains a $773 billion investment plan for the Department of Defense, which is a 4.1 percent increase above the authorized level for fiscal 2022.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said the risk for substantial international confrontation between great powers is rising, not diminishing.
He told the Senate that we are now confronted with two global powers, China and Russia. They possess significant military capabilities and fundamentally seek to alter the present rules-based system fundamentally.
During his 42 years in the US military, Milley called the Russian invasion of Ukraine the biggest threat to Europe’s and maybe the world’s peace and security. China, on the other hand, remains America’s pacing threat.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that the $6.1 billion in the PDI will bolster Washington’s force posture, infrastructure, and preparedness in the Indo-Pacific area, including Guam’s missile defense.
Austin added that we must be prepared for challenges that know no boundaries, from pandemics to climate change. We also need to address the ongoing dangers presented by North Korea, Iran, and international terrorist groups.
In December last year, the Pentagon’s global defense review called for the strengthening of deploying new rotating fighter and bomber aircraft in Australia, implying that new B2 stealth bombers and F-22 and F-35 fighter jets may be deployed soon.
According to the assessment, the adjustments are essential to prevent possible Chinese military actions and threats from North Korea.
Mara Karlin, deputy undersecretary for policy at the Department of Defense, said that we’d see a spectrum of infrastructure enhancements in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Australia more widely across the Indo–Pacific.
