Consulting firm McAleese & Associates has released a report outlining key takeaways from the speech of Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on fiscal year 2023 budget request and the National Defense Strategy at the Reagan Institute.
Hicks, a 2022 Wash100 awardee, noted that the Department of Defense’s $773 billion budget proposal for FY 2023 reflects a 4 percent increase over the FY 2022 enacted funding level and includes $276 billion for research, development, testing and evaluation and procurement and $34 billion for nuclear triad recapitalization, Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and a three-time Wash100 winner, reported.
“What we don’t want, is added topline, that is filled with new programs, that we can’t support and afford in the out-years, and that does not cover inflation … That is my number one concern,” Hicks said during the May 6 event.
She said the National Defense Strategy continues the force structure sizing to militarily defeat one competitor while deterring the other peer competitor and that the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy are advancing “divest-to-invest” strategies to generate savings and modernize for the China fight.
Hicks highlighted the need for the U.S. forces to demonstrate high readiness level to deter Russia and China.
She said the strategy has four priority objectives and these are defending the homeland; deterring strategic attacks; deterring aggression; and building a resilient Joint Force defense ecosystem.
She also discussed the three approaches the Pentagon is pursuing to implement the strategy: integrated deterrence, campaigning and building enduring advantage.
