Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump on Wednesday detailed an ambitious and potentially expensive buildup of the military if elected, promising to plus up the number of troops, ships and aircraft to achieve “peace through strength.”
The plans, which came amid a flurry of military and veterans proposals from the two major party candidates in recent days, don\u2019t come with a specific price tag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Trump insisted that cutting government waste and “common sense” budgeting moves, in the Defense Department and other agencies, will pay for the hundreds of billions of dollars the new personnel and equipment will cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He estimated that nearly $400 billion a year can be brought in through stricter enforcement of tax laws, and advocated “responsible attrition” of the federal workforce to help offset the military spending. But even those theoretical savings might not be enough to cover the massive military buildup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He did not specify his plans for the number of troops in the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Many of the proposals outlined by the Republican standard bearer in his Philadelphia speech come from the conservative Heritage Institute, which has advocated for tying defense spending to the country\u2019s gross domestic product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Obama has outlined plans to draw down the active-duty Army to 450,000 in coming years. Republican lawmakers have fought against that idea, but struggled to find ways to pay for a plus-up above that total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Navy has about 280 deployable battleships, and the Marine Corps sits at 24 battalions. Air Force leaders have repeatedly voiced concerns that its fighter fleet is headed for the lowest in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paying for any of those items will require Congress to repeal defense spending caps passed in 2011. Trump promised to urge lawmakers to undo those restrictions, but Obama has been unsuccessful over the last five years in the same plea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Officials from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton\u2019s campaign have called Trump\u2019s buildup plans unrealistic and poorly planned. She has advocated “fully funding” the armed services but also advocated the importance of diplomacy and international allies in fighting terrorism worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump, who previously said he would not reveal his plans for how he\u2019d combat Islamic State militants in the Middle East, on Tuesday said he would give Pentagon generals 30 days to present a new plan to defeat the terrorist network. He accused both Clinton and Obama of ignoring the problem, a charge both have called absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new details from Trump were released just a few hours before Wednesday night\u2019s planned forum in New York on military and veterans issues. Clinton in recent days has offered recaps of her previously announced plans, focusing particularly on Trump\u2019s Islamic State plans as ill-informed and dangerous for the country. Follow @LeoShane<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n