Davidson defends $27B price tag for Pacific fund – By Aaron Mehta (Defense News) / Mar 5 2021
WASHINGTON — The head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on Thursday acknowledged that his $27 billion wish list of new weapons and investments is “not without controversy,” but argued that the return on investment well outweighs the projected cost.
Adm. Philip Davidson, speaking at the American Enterprise Institute, compared the cost associated with the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to a similar fund set up for Europe, and made the case that the investments, particularly in Guam, will free up needed assets for the Navy to use elsewhere.
Earlier this week, Davidson’s request to Congress for the initiative was leaked to various media outlets, including Defense News. The request covers roughly $27 billion in spending between 2022 and 2027; with $4.6 billion for fiscal year 2022 alone.
Last year’s version of the report, the first submitted by Davidson, proposed $18.5 billion in spending through 2026; in December, the Congress signed off on $2.2 billion for FY21. Davidson is scheduled to testify to Congress next week about the PDI request.
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