Defense

The US may not be able to fight two big wars at once

The U.S. military would be able to handle itself adequately in a single major regional conflict while maintaining smaller operations around the globe, but its “marginal” capabilities mean America would struggle if forced to take on a second major conflict at the same time, a new report has found.

That is the conclusion of The Heritage Foundation’s 2019 Index of U.S. Military Strength, which offers reviews of the past year’s defense-policy issues. The index looks at both the global operating environment and an internal assessment of U.S. military strength. As in previous years, all topics are rated on a five-point scale: “very weak,” “weak," “marginal,” “strong," and “very strong.”

Defense News was given an exclusive interview with Heritage expert Dakota Wood, who edited the nearly 500-page report, ahead of its formal release. The full report can be read here.

On the whole, the report sees progress over the last year in bringing some new equipment into the force, filling gaps in manpower, and rebuilding some stocks of munitions and repair parts. But broader problem trends persist in force readiness, declining proficiency in key areas like trained pilots, and continued uncertainty across the defense budget.