Professional Military Education

Is the United States Military weak? The Heritage Foundation has fired a shot across the bow with its “2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength.” The Index concludes that the U.S. military in its current posture is “weak.” The Pentagon might not like the report. But, my guest, Dakota Wood, is calling things as they are rather than the way people would like them to be.  “Nobody likes their baby being called ugly. But the facts are what they are.” -Dakota Wood The 2023 Index starts with an assessment of the operating environment from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. Dakota explains that the Index is looking at American military power within a two major-regional conflict (MRC) framework. The Index analyses enemy threats through the lens of “intent and capability.” The focus is on Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and terrorist groups like ISIS. The Index then shifts to a detailed overview of each U.S. military branch in terms of capacity, capability, and readiness. After grading each branch individually, the Index comes u