Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) recently released a new plan to increase defense spending and replenish America’s military arsenal. As the highest-ranking Republican member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Wicker is on the frontlines in Congress, warning his colleagues of the global threat America faces and the danger of being defeated by another superpower in a war. “Regaining American strength will be expensive. But fighting a war — and worse, losing one — is far more costly.” In the New York Times, Senator Wicker details senior military officials telling him in private that we face challenges not seen since World War II and that our military is unprepared to meet the call. “We struggle to build and maintain ships, our fighter jet fleet is dangerously small, and our military infrastructure is outdated.” Wicker went on to say that “America’s adversaries are growing and getting more aggressive.” (READ MORE from Alex Adkins: Larry Hogan Will Help Republicans Take Back the Senate) Wicker’s policy prescription is a “generational investment in the U.S. military,” which he calls “21st Century Peace Through Strength.” This overarching plan combats the ’emerging Axis of Aggressors’ and increases the defense budget by raising spending from 2.5 percent to 5 percent of the country’s GDP by 2030. Much to the disappointment of the isolationist wing of the GOP, the plan also calls for an additional $55 billion in the defense budget regarding China, Russia, and Iran’s ascension.  Under this proposal, the Pentagon would enlarge its joint force capabilities by expanding the number of naval warships to 357 and increasing the number of Air Force fighter jets to a minimum of 340 within five years and more spending allocated to our submersible fleet and sub-pen stations. A key concern is the Indo-Pacific region, which faces an $11 billion deficit for maritime defense readiness and an accumulation of $180 billion in military maintenance and readiness. In the past year, the world saw 183 live conflicts, the most in the past 30 years. The U.S., as the sole unipolar power in the world, faces turmoil on all fronts. Russia is engaged in a 27-month war with Ukraine. Iran attacks Israel with the help of terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. North Korea is conducting its missile tests and launching satellites, while China is threatening Taiwan and the Philippines with an invasion.  These fights across the globe are coordinated efforts to oust America as the leader of the free world. Wicker’s Pentagon plan is out at the right time, as Chairman Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin of Russia have embraced their alliance within the past month. Since coming to power in 2012, Xi Jinping and Putin have met with each other over 40 times, recently in Beijing. Just before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Putin signed a “‘no limits” agreement with Xi’s China and congratulated each other on the “great changes in the world not seen in a century,” according to Chairman Xi.  The current status quo is failing the U.S. on the world stage. The Biden Administration’s preference for deterrence and passivity is not stopping autocratic regimes and their rogue actors from eroding America’s influence and attacking our allies. Some troubling developments preceded Biden, but his actions have only accelerated these problems.   President Biden’s requested defense budgets in his first term are not large enough to cover the military’s basic needs for our national security. His prioritizing welfare spending and letting entitlements get out of hand has led to inflation in the way of fully funding defense. Leaving American military forces vulnerable will only cost more down the road and cost lives with the inevitable prospect of war. (READ MORE: Freedom Conservatives: A Stand Against Progressivism and Populism)  Senator Wicker’s plan is expensive. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, he recognized that this deal exceeds the 1 percent cap on expanding the defense budget that congressional Republicans and the White House agreed upon in the debt ceiling negotiations for 2023. The price tag on this defense bill is unlikely to keep up with inflation, and it will take some political maneuvering to convince Congress to increase spending caps.  It is indisputable that Congress is facing limitations, as domestic spending programs and interest on debt leave little room for other expenditures. However, a military defeat would stifle America’s economy and national standing worldwide. Senator Wicker said it best: “Regaining American strength will be expensive. But fighting a war — and worse, losing one — is far more costly.” It is encouraging that Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is endorsing Wicker’s plan as support is growing among Senate Republicans and hopefully some Democrats. Speaker Johnson’s passage of military aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan in the spring was an excellent bi-partisan moment for American leadership and freedom abroad. The Wicker plan is a continued step in that direction to ensure the U.S. continues to lead with peace through strength. The post In Defense of Our Defense: Senator Wicker’s Plan appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.