Give the Navy the Army’s Money

Since 2001, the United States has spent nearly $2 trillion trying to reform the graveyard of empires, Afghanistan, into a rose garden of democracy, and now it’s leaving. Even after major U.S. combat operations concluded, the United States spent around $45 billion annually to maintain its training, advising, and special operations footprint in the country. But now the name of the game is great-power competition—and Americans need to have a serious discussion about the defense budget.

The United States relies primarily on sea-based commerce, as well as maritime resources like oil, rare-earth metals, and seafood, which means it needs a navy. Unfortunately, the U.S. Navy has been ground into a shadow of its former self through two decades of unsustainable deployments. For years, the defense budget has roughly been partitioned into thirds, but those days must end if there is any intention of conventional deterrence facing down America’s main challenger, China.

This is going to require a