The independent and nonpartisan National Defense Strategy Commission says the Army needs to grow in size and capability to match potential adversaries, warning the U.S. could suffer high casualties in a future war and “might struggle to win or perhaps lose.”

“U.S. military superiority is no longer assured and the implications for American interests and American security are severe,” the commission says in its final report. “The United States is particularly at risk of being overwhelmed should its military be forced to fight on two or more fronts simultaneously.”

The report says the Army “will need capacity enhancements.”

That means more of many things. “More armor, long-range fires, engineering, and air-defense units are required to meet the ground-heavy challenges posed by Russia in Eastern Europe and while maintaining a robust deterrent to aggression on the Korean Peninsula,” the report says.

“In the event of conflict with China, additional air-defense and logistical forces will be necessary to support Air Force operations. Army forces also remain very much engaged in a war in Afghanistan, which—despite often being forgotten or overlooked today—will place further stress on existing structure.”

The report includes a warning that U.S. military power has eroded. “The security and well-being of the United States are at greater risk than at any time in decades. America’s military superiority—the hard-power backbone of its global influence and national security—has eroded to a dangerous degree.”

The full 116-page report can be downloaded here: https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/2018-11/providing-for-the-common-defense.pdf