As the U.S. military continues to build up forces to deter China in the increasingly contested Indo-Pacific region, a recent Government Accountability Office report claims that clear guidance on how it funds those deterrence efforts has yet to be provided.
Each year, the Defense Department selects programs, equipment, research and support initiatives to include in the annual Pacific Deterrence Initiative budget.
The PDI originated as a way for the government to gain insight into how DOD is distributing funds to counter evolving threats posed by the People’s Republic of China.
The GAO report analyzed the Defense Department’s annual PDI budget from fiscal years 2023 through 2025 and determined that there were inconsistencies within the program that do not “reflect department-wide priorities or requirements and present an inconsistent mix of programs and funding.”
One example, according to the report, was that the Air Force and Marine Corps sought funding for facilities sustainment programs, which identify and assess risks, while the Army and Navy did not.
The GAO report also identified that some DOD organizations included development programs that are unlikely to be effective within five years, despite the guidance’s near-term focus.
Additionally, there were select efforts that were highlighted as being geographically located east of the International Date Line, while the PDI guidance focuses primarily on efforts to its west.
“Inconsistent program selection has limited visibility and weakened the initiative’s value,” the report’s authors wrote. “These issues stem, in part, from DOD’s unclear internal guidance on how to select programs for inclusion in the PDI budget exhibit.”
The GAO went on to note that the programs and funding presented in the annual budget exhibit were different from those included in the Indo-Pacific Command’s independent assessment, which “is based on its strategy and assumes unlimited resources,” the authors wrote.
“While some of the differences can be attributed to that assumption, there are also differences in the types of funded programs prioritized,” the report states. “This raises questions about the extent of DOD’s resourcing needs for the Indo-Pacific region.”
Together, the inconsistencies make assessing alignment between DOD resources and strategic goals more difficult, the report states.
“Unless DOD improves its internal processes and clarifies what the PDI exhibit is intended to convey, Congress will continue to face challenges in using it to assess progress toward deterrence and posture objectives in the Indo-Pacific region,” the report’s authors conclude.
“Addressing these issues would help ensure the PDI budget exhibit provides clear, consistent and credible information on how the department is aligning resources to increase capability and readiness in the Indo-Pacific.”
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