'Decade of decline' for U.S. military tees up likely campaign clash for 2024

The Army doesn't have enough soldiers, the Navy's fleet is half the size it was during the Cold War, and Air Force pilots aren't getting the flight time needed to maintain their edge. That's the stark conclusion of the latest ranking of U.S. military strength from the Heritage Foundation think tank, which says a "decade of decline" has left America's armed forces with a "weak" rating for the second year in a row, despite Congress allocating more than $800 billion last year on national defense.