US military leaders depict shortfalls ahead of likely spending bonanza: Military leaders warned US lawmakers Tuesday that aging equipment, underfunding and understaffing have left the Pentagon critically unprepared, as the Republican-led Congress hopes to usher in a spending bonanza under President Donald Trump.
The president has repeatedly said the vast US military is suffering from massive shortages and has vowed a "great rebuilding" of the armed services.
Many officials worry that budget caps, known as sequestration, implemented under Barack Obama, have left the military depleted and lacking the readiness to deal with the full array of potential global threats.
The US military is already by far the world's most powerful and most expensive -- with bases spanning the globe, an annual budget of more than $600 billion and about 1.3 million active-duty troops.
Republicans are keen to spend billions more, though it is not clear where the extra cash would come from, especially if the Trump administration cuts taxes.
