Has Congress agreed to fund a new $27 billion ‘deterrence initiative’ in East Asia?
Congress has so far approved only $2.2 billion for a “Pacific Deterrence Initiative” meant to “enhance the United States deterrence and defense posture in the Indo-Pacific region, assure allies and partners, and increase capability and readiness.”
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in April 2020 requested $20 billion in funding to strengthen forces in the region. In March 2021, Admiral Phil Davidson, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command head, renewed calls for additional support, asking Congress to commit $27 billion to the initiative between 2022 and 2027.
The command is seeking money for “new missiles and air defenses, radar systems, staging areas, intelligence-sharing centers, supply depots and testing ranges throughout the region, as well as exercises with allies and partners,” Defense News reported.
