吴敏文
By Wu Minwen
3月28日，美国政府公布的2023财年国防预算达到8133亿美元的历史新高。这已超过多数中等强国的年度国内生产总值（如土耳其2021年度国内生产总值为5180亿美元），国际社会普遍对此深感震惊和忧虑。
The national defense budget for the 2023 fiscal year released by the US government on March 28 reached a new high of USD 813.3 billion, which is more than the annual GDP of most middle powers (Turkey’s 2021 GDP was USD 518 billion), both astonishing and worrying the international community greatly.
对于美国而言，通过如此庞大的年度国防开支来追求本国绝对安全，无异于缘木求鱼。对于世界而言，种种迹象表明，新一轮军备竞赛正在来临。
For the US, pursuing absolute security for itself by passing such an obscene amount of defense budget is a bull-milking attempt; for the world, there are signs that a new round of arms race is pending.
自特朗普政府以来，美国政府的国防开支一直呈上升趋势，且2023年的涨幅尤其不寻常。从比上一年增加比例上说，2018、2019、2020、2021、2022年度分别是：11.8%、3.47%、3.1%、0.3%、3.7%，而2023年度却是5.9%。
America’s defense spending has been on a constant rise ever since the Trump administration, with a particularly high growth rate for 2023. The year-on-year increase of the country’s military expenditure from 2018 to 2022 was 11.8%, 3.47%, 3.1%, 0.3%and 3.7% respectively, but it jumps to 5.9% for 2023.
2022年1月11日，美国国会预算局发布《政府2022财年国防预算的长期成本》报告分析认为，美国国防部预算将在2031财年达到7870亿美元。考虑到这个数字大概率不包含给美国能源部用于核武器维护和研发的费用，从绝对数额上说，拜登政府如今提出的2023年国防预算，已经提前10年逼近2031年的水平。
On January 11 this year, its Congressional Budget Office released the Long-Term Costs of the Administration’s 2022 Defense Budget, which projected the Department of Defense (DOD) budget to reach USD 787 billion by 2031. Considering that this figure probably doesn’t include the money allocated to the US Department of Energy to maintain and develop nuclear arsenal, Biden administration’s 2023 defense budget request has already surpassed the 2031 projection, almost ten years ahead of time.
出于实行全球战略和追求全球霸权的需要，美国在最近不到10年的时间内，国防开支走过了从奥巴马时期的“6字头”年代，特朗普时期的“7字头”年代，已正式进入拜登政府的“8字头”年代。国防开支的不断增长，本质上体现出其一贯强调的以技术优势获取装备优势和作战优势，针对重点地区和对象加强战备等基本特点。
What with implementing its global strategy and pursuing worldwide hegemony, the US, in a span of fewer than 10 years, has seen its defense spending rise from the range of USD 600 billion during Obama’s term to USD 700 billion in Trump’s time and now to USD 800 billion in Biden’s term. The continual increase in defense spending reflects some basic features of its defense policy – obtaining advantages in equipment and combat through technological superiority, and reinforcing readiness toward key regions and targets.
一是加强技术研发以形成与对手之间的压倒性技术优势。在2023财年国防预算中，研发经费达到创纪录的1301亿美元，比2022财年的1120亿美元增加181亿美元，增幅达16%，是国防预算总增幅的近3倍。
First, the US is stepping up technological R&D to form overwhelming superiority over its rivals. The 2023 defense budget includes a record R&D fund of USD130.1 billion, an increase of USD 18.1 billion, or 16%, nearly three times the overall budget growth, from 2022’s USD 112 billion.
美国防部编列47亿美元用于高超音速武器研发，33亿美元用于人工智能、军用5G通信技术、量子计算与加密技术等是其正在全力打造的“联合全域指挥控制”等作战概念的基础性技术。此外，核武器预算仍然是历年最高，其中核指挥、控制与通信分得48亿美元，“哥伦比亚”级核潜艇分配63亿美元，B-21轰炸机项目分配50亿美元。
The DOD has put aside USD 4.7 billion to develop hypersonic weapons, and USD 3.3 billion for AI, military-purpose 5G communication technology, quantum computing, and encryption technology, which are underpinning the key combat concepts it is working on now, such as Joint all-domain command and control. Besides, nuclear weapon budget reaches a record high with USD 4.8 billion allocated to command, control and communication, USD 6.3 billion for Columbia class nuclear submarine, and USD 5 billion for B-21 bombers.
二是加大战备能力的投入。战备投入的内容包括采购可直接用于实战所需的系统与装备，战场基础设施设备，开展与实战有关的训练与演练、装备的作战维护与保养，以及提高军人薪水、福利待遇以提升士气等。在美国2023财年预算中，联合部队战备预算为1347亿美元，相较于2022财年的1284亿美元增加63亿美元，增幅为4.9%。
Second, the US is investing more in war-ready capacity. This includes purchasing systems and equipment that can be directly employed in real combat and battlefield infrastructure and devices, conducting readiness-related training and exercises as well as equipment repair and maintenance, and raising the pay and benefits for service members to boost their morale. The 2023 budget allocates USD 134.7 billion for Joint Force Readiness, an increase of USD 6.3 billion or 4.9% from 2022’s USD 128.4 billion.
同时，战备能力的投入具有鲜明的针对性。美国“印太战略”中“一体化威慑”专项下的“太平洋威慑倡议”，用于提升驻太平洋地区美军导弹防御能力、部署陆基远程精确打击武器、增强印太地区美军的前沿部署态势等。 该倡议于2020年6月由美国参议院首次通过即获拨款70亿美元专项基金，2022财年 71亿美元。在2023财年预算中获得61亿美元，鉴于此专项的重要性，不排除在国会审议过程中会提供比预算更多经费的可能。
The readiness input is highly targeted. The Pacific Deterrence Initiative under the integrated deterrence of America’s “Indo-Pacific Strategy” is designed to enhance the missile defense capability of American troops stationed in the Pacific region, deploy land-based long-range precision attack weapons, and reinforce forward deployments in the Indo-Pacific. The Initiative received a special USD 7 billion funds from the US Senate when passed in June 2020, followed by USD 7.1 billion in 2022 and now USD 6.1 billion for 2023, with the possibility of receiving more than proposed after the congress’ review of the request given its special importance.
三是势必引发新一轮军备竞赛。事实上，美国历年来国防开支的不断推高以及俄乌冲突已经引发西方主要国家在军费开支上的大幅提升。其中最为典型的是德国，目前其年度防务开支占国内生产总值的比重已提高至2%以上。在北约内部，美国一直催促盟国的防务开支提升到占国内生产总值的2%以上。目前已达标的10个国家中英国、罗马尼亚、波兰、拉脱维亚表示将继续提高该比例。
另外，现在还不是北约盟国的瑞典和芬兰不仅希望加入北约，还表示将显著提高防务开支。与此同时，美国在世界其他地区的盟友，如印太地区的日本、澳大利亚等，都纷纷表示将加强军备，进一步提升军事能力。这将直接搅动地区安全局势，导致地区其他国家群起效尤，以强化本国军备来对冲地区局势的紧张，确保本国国家安全。
Third, the US is sparking a new round of arms race. America’s ever-rising defense expenditure and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict have already spiked the military spending of major western countries, with Germany being a prime example as its annual defense spending accounts for more than 2% of GDP now. The US has been pushing its NATO allies to increase their defense spending to over 2% of GDP, and ten countries have already hit that goal, with the UK, Romania, Poland and Latvia promising to continue raising the ratio.
Other than that, Sweden and Finland, who are not NATO members yet, not only hope to join the bloc, but also pledge to significantly increase their defense expenditure. Outside NATO and Europe, America’s allies elsewhere, such as Japan and Australia in the Indo-Pacific region, also expressed their willingness to reinforce the military capacity and gears. This general sentiment is dangerous for regional security and will worry other regional countries into following suit in order to hedge against regional tension and ensure their own security.
美国拥有全球最强大的军队，其军费开支也长期占世界军费开支总和的40%左右。世界不会因为有更多的军备而变得更加安全，就像一个火炉不会因为加入更多煤炭而降低温度。历史和现实都证明，美国通过无限地增加军费开支追求霸权和绝对安全的做法，只会适得其反。
The US has the world’s strongest military, and its military spending steadily accounts for about 40% of the world's total. The world won’t be a safer place for more weapons, just like a furnace won’t cool down for more coal. History and reality both prove that America’s pursuit of hegemony and absolute security by increasing military spending without limit will only lead to the opposite results than what it expects.
（作者单位：国防科技大学信息通信学院）
(The author is from College of Information and Communication, National University of Defense Technology)
Editor’s note : This article is originally published on the zqb.cyol.com, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
