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The Military Case for Biden's $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Opinion
JOHN ADAMS , U.S. ARMY GENERAL
ON 4/5/21 AT 8:00 AM EDT
President Biden's just announced $2 trillion infrastructure plan is long overdue. Our nation's crumbling infrastructure and critical industries need investment. On his trip to Steel City, President Biden announced The American Jobs Plan that will create new inclusive good-paying jobs as we rebuild our great nation.
As the nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must recognize the strategic importance of maintaining specific U.S. industries that are critical to our national and economic security. As part of President Biden's Build Back Better Agenda, we must support domestic manufacturing industries like aluminum and steel that produce the raw materials necessary to rebuild America's infrastructure.
In recent years, I authored a study on the military's dangerous reliance on foreign nations for the raw materials and finished products needed to protect the United States. As a military leader, I know that the U.S. military is the strongest in the world largely due to our ability to manufacture the critical components that support our brave men and women in uniform, right here in the United States. A notable example is the dependence of our military aircraft and armored vehicles on our domestic production of high purity aluminum. As a U.S. Army Aviator during the 1980s, I saw firsthand the importance of aluminum in providing the lightweight strength essential to my aircraft's wings in high-stress flight maneuvers.
We cannot rely on geopolitical rivals for the raw materials and critical components essential to U.S. national security. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it's that America must maintain control over critical supply chain such as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and critical metals such as steel and aluminum. COVID has disrupted global supply chains on a wide range of goods, from automobiles to semi-conductors, as well as hindered global transportation networks.
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https://www.newsweek.com/military-case-bidens-2-trillion-infrastructure-plan-opinion-1580764
