郭晓兵 By GuoXiaobing
12月27日，美国总统拜登签署“2022财年国防授权法案”，批准的国防预算高达7682亿美元，比去年增加约5%。美国国防预算本就全球遥遥领先，此次再度大涨军费只会加剧美国畸形发展，无益于其解决疫情蔓延、贫富分化、种族歧视等真正迫在眉睫的安全问题。
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 that President Biden signed into law on December 27 approved a defense budget as high as USD 768.2 billion, about 5% higher than last year. The latest spike in the US defense budget, which is already topping the world, will only aggravate America’s crooked development while doing no good in addressing its pressing security issues, including the spreading pandemic, wealth polarization, and racial discrimination.
“2022财年国防授权法案”得到美国两党议员大力支持。最终批准的金额比拜登政府申请的金额还多出240亿美元。这超出了冷战时期美国军费开支的最高水平。该法案偏执地强调大国竞争，将焦点对准中国和俄罗斯。其中针对中国的所谓“太平洋威慑倡议”获得 71 亿美元拨款，针对俄罗斯的“欧洲防御倡议”获得40亿美元拨款。
With strong support from both parties, the FY 2022 NDAA approved a final amount that was USD 24 billion more than what the Biden administration originally requested, leading to a number even higher than the country’s peak military spending during the Cold War. The NDAA obsessively emphasized major-power competition and targeted China and Russia, as well evidenced by the USD 7.1 billion allocated to the so-called China-targeting Pacific Deterrence Initiative and the USD 4 billion to the Russia-targeting European Defense Initiative.
此外，该法案要求制定对华大战略，还在台湾和新疆等中国内政问题上大做文章，要求探讨美国国民警卫队与台勾连可能，帮助台发展不对称作战能力，限制从新疆的产品进口等。
Besides, the NDAAalso called for making a master China strategy and pointed fingers at China’s internal affairs concerning the Taiwan island and Xinjiang Autonomous Region. It required discussions on the possible cooperation between the National Guard and Taiwan, pledged to help the island develop asymmetrical capabilities, and prohibited the import of products from Xinjiang.
美国大撒美元扩军备战，理由却很牵强。
While the US is burning money to expand the armed forces and get combat-ready, the reasons it cites are far-fetched at best.
据说，它的军舰不如中国多了。2020年以来，美国把自己戴了多年的“世界最大海军”桂冠硬生生套到了中国头上。它精心炮制的《中国军力报告》宣称中国有360艘军舰，美国只有297艘，到2025年中国将拥有400艘，而美国只有355艘。但它闭口不谈美国有11艘航空母舰、92艘巡洋舰和驱逐舰、68艘核潜艇，而中国多地是小型巡逻舰和护卫舰，两国海军实力仍有巨大差距。
The US alleged that it doesn’t have as many warships as China. Since 2020, Washington has pinned the title of “world’s greatest naval power”, which it has been deservedly wearing for many years, on China. The China Military Power Report that the US had carefully concocted claims that China has 360 warships, which will increase to 400 by 2025, as opposed to America’s 297 now and 355 then. Yet the report says nothing about America’s 11 aircraft carriers, 92 cruise ships and destroyers, and 68 nuclear submarines, as opposed to China’s small patrol ships and frigates. The Chinese navy still falls far behind the US navy in size and strength.
据说，它的军机不够用。但根据《国际飞行》杂志与巴西航空工业公司合作发布的《2021 年世界空军报告》，美军共有1.3万架军机，远远超过拥有4000架军机的亚军俄罗斯。中国虽然排名第三，但军机总量只是美国的零头。
The US alleged that it doesn’t have enough warplanes. According to the2021 World Air Forces report released by Flight International in cooperation with Embraer, the US military collectively operates over 13,000 military aircraft, far more than the runner-up Russia’s 4,000, while China, ranking third as it is, has only a little more than 3,000 military aircraft.
据说，美国在太空、网络、高超声速武器这些新兴领域落后了。那是谁一次又一次进行共轨反卫星技术试验？是谁率先用反导拦截器打卫星？是谁率先部署了反卫星通信系统？是谁要率先搞天基反导系统？是谁率先用电脑病毒摧毁了其他国家的核设施？是谁在研发“海军常规快速打击”“陆军远程高超声速武器”“空射快速反应武器”“战术助推滑翔器”等五花八门的高超声速武器？
The US also alleged that it is falling behind in emerging areas such as space, cyber and hypersonic weapons. If this were true, which country is it that is constantly conducting co-orbital ASAT tests? Which country took the initiative to hit satellites with anti-missile interceptors? Which country took the lead in deploying an anti-satellite communication system? Which country was the first to develop the space-based anti-missile system? Which country was the first to destroy other countries’ nuclear facilities with a computer virus? Which country is developing a myriad of hypersonic weapons such as the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike offensive hypersonic missile, the Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon, Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), and Tactical Boost Glide?
美国国防开支在全球国防开支中所占比例畸重现象已非常严重，2020年高达40.3%。如此扭曲的国防开支比例，美国尚嫌不足。在刚刚结束史上最长的阿富汗战争之后，其军费不减反增。除了黩武之外我们还能用什么词来形容它呢？ American defense expenditure is seriously disproportioned in the global defense spending, reaching 40.3% in 2020, yet Washington still finds that not enough and has continued to hike it immediately after it wrapped up the longest-ever Afghan War. What shall we call such a country but militaristic?
对于整个世界来说，美国持续增加军费意味着什么呢？ What does America’s sustained increase in military expenditure mean for the world?
第一，这意味着美国在军事上将会更加自信乃至自大。在国内政治中，绝对权力意味着绝对腐败。在国际政治中，绝对权力意味着绝对放纵。历史经验表明，拥有碾压式打击能力的美国绝对不是一个善于自我克制的善意霸权。为了铲除臆想中的威胁，它不惜捏造借口挑动战争。
First, it means the US will be more militarily confident, even conceited. In domestic politics, absolute power means absolute corruption; in international politics, absolute power means absolute indulgence. Historical experience has shown that while equipped with overwhelming strike capacity, the US is by no means a good-willed hegemon good at self-restraint. Rather, it would not hesitate to make up excuses and start a war in order to wipe out any imaginary threat.
第二，美国大涨军费会加剧大国之间的安全困境，刺激军备竞赛，增加冲突风险。
Second, the hike in America’s military spending will exacerbate the security dilemma among major countries, stimulate an arms race, and increase the risk of conflicts.
第三，美国着力扩军备战还将产生恶劣的示范效应。美国增加了军费，建设了新军种，研发了新武器，它的盟友也会马上跟上。例如，在太空领域，美国太空军成立之后就产生了“破窗效应”，以前对太空武器化尚有所忌惮的日、英、法、德纷纷成立太空司令部或太空军。这将使国际政治中的军事和地缘政治因素更加凸显，干扰各国之间开展合作、共谋发展。
Third, America’s military expansion and war preparations will set a terrible example. As soon as Washington increased its military budget, built new services and developed new weapons, its allies would follow suit soon. For instance, the establishment of the US Space Force has created effects described as the “Break Pane Law” – countries that used to have second thoughts about militarizing the outer space, such as Japan, the UK, France and Germany, now have no scruples anymore and have taken turns setting up their own space command or space force. This will enhance the military and geopolitical factors in the international arena and set barriers against countries working together for common development.
（作者为中国现代国际关系研究院军控研究中心主任）
(The author is Director of the Center for Arms Control Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations)
