(NewsNation) — A report from the conservative tank The Heritage Foundation rated the weakness of each military branch and labeled several arms of the U.S. military weak.
The group issued the following rankings:
- Navy – Weak
- Air Force – Very weak
- Marine Corps – Strong
- Space Force – Weak
- Nuclear Capability – Strong
- Army – Marginal
Iraq War veteran Allison Jaslow joined NewsNation’s “Morning in America” Thursday morning to break down the report.
“I think it’s worth noting that it is a report that was released by a think tank that has an ideological agenda,” Jaslow said. “So bear that in mind,. What I will say is that we have some serious readiness concerns with the United States military right now not really detailed in that report…The Heritage Foundation is advocating for a larger military, but we’re having a problem filling the ranks of the military that we currently have.”
According to Jaslow, both Republicans and Democrats have pushed for a larger Navy in particular.
“The Navy, mind you, supports the Marines, which is the strongest fighting force detailed in that report,” Jaslow said. “So how can we make sure that the Marines have the partners … that they need?
There’s another challenge facing the U.S., she said. The longer the nation stays mired in the so-called forever wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the more it degrades the U.S.’ ability to fight Russia and China, she said.
“It’s really is on our leaders to make sure that we are not only just making sure the military is strong, but also innovating because the new wars are not like the old wars,” Jaslow said. “We have to have an effective cybersecurity command … there’s a lot of things that we just have to think through to make sure that we are on firm footing as these other threats loom.”
Looking forward, recruitment should be the nation’s top military priority for the near future, Jaslow said.
“The more that we can make it appealing — that we can culturally promote and encourage people to join the military — the better off we’re going to be,” she said.