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Biden Shortchanges Defense Program Aimed at Stopping China
[Free Beacon] The Biden administration in its 2022 defense budget underfunded a vital program dedicated to stopping China from advancing in parts of the Pacific Ocean.

The administration fell about $1 billion short of the $4.7 billion the Pentagon’s Indo-Pacific Command requested. Lawmakers and experts told the Washington Free Beacon the Biden budget's neglect of the program will enable China and discourage allies, putting armed forces in the Pacific in a dangerous position.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Biden budget shows a major "disconnect" between what the Department of Defense needs and what the White House is willing to give it. Blackburn pointed to the Guam Defense System—a massively underfunded program tasked with protecting the more than 160,000 U.S. citizens living on the island—as a major disappointment. The Indo-Pacific Command chief requested $360 million for the Guam system and only received $118.3 million for the program.

"It is our constitutional command to provide for the common defense," Blackburn said. "The Indo-Pacific command chief got less than half of what he asked for. It shows you how far off base they are with this."

Guam’s defense is critical as one of the United States's westernmost holdings in the Pacific, giving the U.S. armed forces significant access to the area where China is closest. China has a complex system of rockets, bombers, and submarines that could leave Guam vulnerable to attack. The difficult terrain of the island and range of Chinese capabilities make Guam a difficult place to defend and standing U.S. defenses may not be sufficient, Missile Defense Agency chief John Hill said in June. In March, Adm. Phil Davidson called Guam a "target today" for China.
Posted by: Besoeker 2021-06-26
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=605576