Chapter Three: North America

Abstract

While the US defence budget’s USD715 billion top line constitutes an USD11.27bn increase on the enacted FY2021 US defence budget, the FY2022 budget request is essentially flat in real terms when adjusted for inflation. Reflecting the Pentagon’s focus on the Indo-Pacific, the air force and navy budgets are set to increase, making up 52% of the top-line DoD budget in FY2022, up from 48% in the enacted FY21 budget. The US conducted its Global Posture Review during 2021. The Review was anticipated to reshape global United States military deployments, likely heralding reductions in all regions bar Europe and the IndoPacific, where there were to be increased infrastructure developments with a focus on survivability. The US army is recapitalising its mobile air defence. The first prototype M-SHORAD Increment 1 vehicles arrived in Germany in early 2021. Meanwhile, M-SHORAD Increment 2 is a directed-energy variant. Another project, the Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) Increment 2, is designed to tackle threats including from uninhabited aerial systems and cruise missiles. While uncertainty remains over plans to increase the size of the US navy’s fleet, there has been consistent focus on an eventual fleet that is more distributed, with a shift in balance to smaller surface combatants and with significant numbers of uninhabited surface and underwater vehicles. The US air force’s stated acquisition target of 1,763 F-35As is coming under scrutiny. F-15EX Eagle IIs are being bought to replace F-15Cs, and there was talk of restarting F-16 acquisition or even building a new successor. Meanwhile, a demonstrator for elements of the Next-Generation Air Dominance programme reportedly flew in 2021. In September, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said that five B-21 bombers were in various states of production. Air transport and air refuelling remain essential to US expeditionary operations, as the evacuation from Afghanistan showed. This also highlighted the importance of overseas bases for logistical support. There are as yet no identified replacements for the C-17 or C-5M; a C-17 sustainment contract was awarded in late 2021. Canada and the US are building more icebreakers. Three new heavy icebreakers are being procured for the US Coast Guard, to be followed by three medium icebreakers. In June 2021, the Royal Canadian Navy commissioned the first of its six planned Harry DeWolfclass Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships.