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Is the Sun Setting on America's Superpower Status?

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WASHINGTON – Conflicts from Syria to Iraq to the unrest in Libya and Yemen have exposed new limitations of America's superior military might.

With cuts in defense spending and personnel, the U.S. military is also losing another battle: maintaining its technological edge.

It's a popular line with the candidates on the campaign trails, often followed by applause and hearty cheers from the crowds.

But the hard truth about America's military weaknesses is enough to sound the alarm for experts on defense.

Mackenzie Eaglen with the American Enterprise Institute told CBN News, "It does keep me up, but more importantly, it keeps up Pentagon leadership at night."

Eaglen researches defense strategy for the conservative Washington think tank. She believes the U.S. military has lost its fighting edge after the long and costly campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Here we are winding down from the wars of the last decade and finding that the rest of the world did not slow down. In fact, they're catching up or surpassing us," Eaglen explained.

"We're in a constant state of conflict and using our military at a rapid pace so drawing down anymore is not an acceptable way to save money because you spend more to build back up," she said.

The United States spends considerably more than any other country on defense, more than doubling China's budget, which comes in at number two.

But since 2010, U.S. military spending has fallen by 20 percent due to deficit reduction.

Meanwhile, China and Russia have been increasing their military spending, a cause of concern the Bookings Institute's Michael O'Hanlon voiced to CBN News in a previous interview.

"We also have to be a little bit nervous when their budget is growing 10 to 20 billion every year and ours is coming down 20-30 billion every year."

Eaglen says China has a leading edge in next-generation space and missile technology.

She notes that China is developing hypersonic missiles that travel so fast that defending against them is nearly impossible and she also warns about a resurgent cold war power.

"If we're talking about electronic warfare, Russia is eating our lunch," she said.

Eaglen points out that Russia is far ahead in cyber-warfare and she warns that the U.S. military's research and development is now lagging far behind the private sector.

But in the past, military R&D was used to start the commercial revolution within the American economy, giving the public everything from the Internet to GPS, car phones and more.

"Everything from plastic bags to pantyhose are from the U.S. military or derivative from research and development," Eaglen continued.

"The federal government is no longer the driver in research and development in our U.S. economy. It is now led by the commercial sector. The problem with that is if the Defense Department wants access to it, everybody has access to it. By everybody, I mean everyone around the world," she said.

Eaglen says that means the military now has to learn from the business world – and sometimes even use products like tablet computers for airstrikes and xBox controllers for drones.

Even worse, she reports that in a series of 16 different war games by a former Pentagon planner to see if the U.S. and NATO could defend the Baltic States against Russia, the U.S. lost every one.

What does all this mean for the U.S. military?

Eaglen believes this lack of technological advantage will lead to failed missions, higher casualties and longer wars.

It's a gap, she warns, the U.S. needs to start filling now, before it's too late.

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About The Author

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John
Jessup

John Jessup serves as the main news anchor for CBN, based at the network's news bureau in Washington, D.C. He joined CBN News in September 2003, starting as a national correspondent and then covering the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. His work in broadcast news has earned him several awards in reporting, producing, and coordinating election coverage. While at CBN, John has reported from several places, including Moore, Oklahoma, after the historic EF5 tornado and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. He also traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during the height