U.S. ‘not prepared’ for major military conflict: expert report

A commission of U.S. national security experts has criticized the Pentagon, Congress, and the Executive Branch for the nation’s poor preparedness. The report, commissioned by Congress, found that the U.S. “is not prepared today” for a major military conflict.

“America’s odds of fighting a major war are the highest in 80 years, and its military isn’t prepared for one,” Military Times reported.

The Pentagon, per the commission’s report, is slow to respond to the changing threat landscape. Congress, for its part, is too bogged down in partisanship to focus on national security.

The Executive Branch, on the other hand, suffers from complacency in China, Russia, and Middle East policy.

The report argues the U.S. has not been prepared for a major conflict since the end of the Cold War “35 years ago.”

The quadrennial review of U.S. national security preparedness brings together “a group of outside experts to review the country’s national defense strategy.” Its goal is to provide an independent assessment of the nation’s preparedness.