□ 보고서는 북한의 '핵과 미사일 전력'을 가장 큰 군사적 위협으로 적시함. 북한의 재래식 전력에 대해서는 ”대부분의 무기가 1950~1970년대 사이에 생산된 것으로 품질이 낮다”며 상대적으로 노후했다고 평가함. 다만, 구형 무기로 무장한 북한의 지상군 대부분이 광범위하게 전진 배치되어 있어 ”비무장지대 인근에 배치된 수천 개의 포병대는 연합군이 포격하기 전에 한국, 특히 서울에 치명적 피해를 입힐 수 있다”고 강조함
□ 보고서에 따르면 북한은 현재 미국 본토와 미군, 아시아의 동맹국들을 핵무기로 위협할 수 있는 다양한 미사일 시스템 보유하고 있는 것으로 나타남. 북한의 미사일 발사 횟수 및 다양성 증가는 핵무기를 사용한 선제공격을 포함해 보다 유연한 핵 전략 이행이 가능함을 암시하는 것으로, 위기 상황에서 핵무기 사용 문턱이 낮아질 수도 있다고 경고함
[출처] 美싱크탱크 '북핵 중대 위협…유사시 핵사용 문턱 낮아질 수도' (2024.01.26.) / 연합뉴스
[보고서 요약] Executive Summary of the 2024 Index of U.S. Military Strength (2024.01.24.) / Heritage Foundation
목차
Title page
Contents
Contributors 7
Acknowledgments 9
Preface 11
Introduction 13
Executive Summary 22
The Index of U.S. Military Strength: Ten Years in Review 40
The Role of the Military in U.S. History: Past, Present, and Future 62
The Military and Society: A Refresher 74
The U.S. Defense Industrial Base: Past Strength, Current Challenges, and Needed Change 83
Understanding the Defense Budget 92
Global Operating Environment 105
Assessing the Global Operating Environment 106
Europe 108
Middle East 186
Asia 211
Conclusion: Scoring the Global Operating Environment 253
Threats to U.S. Vital Interests 256
Assessing Threats to U.S. Vital Interests 257
China 260
Russia 287
Iran 326
North Korea 361
Non-State Actors 368
Conclusion: Global Threat Level 383
U.S. Military Power 386
An Assessment of U.S. Military Power 387
U.S. Army 405
U.S. Army Modernization Table 421
U.S. Navy 435
U.S. Navy Modernization Table 454
U.S. Air Force 477
U.S. Air Force Modernization Table 495
U.S. Marine Corps 510
U.S. Marine Corps Modernization Table 522
U.S. Space Force 535
U.S. Space Force Modernization Table 548
U.S. Nuclear Weapons 563
Missile Defense 590
Cyber Warfare and U.S. Cyber Command 610
Conclusion: U.S. Military Power 617
Glossary of Abbreviations 623
Methodology 635
Table 1. Index Scores Over Time 54
Table 2. U.S. Defense Budget 93
Table 3. Department of Defense Funding, by Military Department 94
Table 4. Defense Funding, by Public Law Title 95
Table 5. China's Ownership Stake in European Ports, Airports, and Railways 119
Table 6. Historical U.S. Force Allocation 396
Table 7. Brigade Combat Teams Deployed to Europe in Support of Ukraine 408
Table 8. Major Army Combat Formations 411
Table 9. Procurement of Select Army Systems Will Take Decades to Complete 416
Table 10. Navy Fleet Design 442
Table 11. Precision-Guided Munitions Expenditures and Programmed Acquisitions 481
Table 12. Air Force, Total Aircraft Inventory 483
Table 13. Air Force Flying Hours and Weapons System Sustainment (WSS) Funding 488
Table 14. Mission-Capable Combat-Coded Fighters in the Active-Duty Air Force 489
Table 15. Air Force Maintenance Manning 490
Table 16. Space Launches by Country 542
Table 17. U.S. Space Launches by Organization 543
Table 18. U.S. Satellites in Orbit 544
Figure 1. Development of Any DOD Budget Starts Two Years in Advance 102
Figure 2. Shoring up NATO Defenses: A Timeline of Recent Developments 121
Figure 3. Army Capacity: Brigade Combat Teams 410
Figure 4. Air Force Active-Duty Combat-Coded Fighter Squadrons (31 Total) 491
Figure 5. Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Combat-Coded Fighter Squadrons (24 Total) 491
Figure 6. Types of Earth Orbits 538
Figure 7. U.S. Missile Defense: Interceptors 592
Charts
Chart 1. U.S. Military Strength Dwindles While Threats Continue to Rise 48
Chart 2. Where Does All the Money Go? 96
Chart 3. Non-Defense Spending Consuming More GDP 97
Chart 4. Total Defense Spending 98
Chart 5. Growth of the Fourth Estate 100
Chart 6. Changing Drivers of Defense Budget 101
Chart 7. Cost per Active Military Personnel 101
Chart 8. Few U.S. Troops in Europe Are Stationed Near Russia 110
Chart 9. NATO Aid to Ukraine 115
Chart 10. Iran Poses High Level of Danger 339
Chart 11. Army End Strength Lowest Since 1940 406
Chart 12. Army Budget Hit by Both Cuts and Inflation 409
Chart 13. U.S. vs. China and Russia Navies: Fleet Expansion Trends 445
Chart 14. Navy Combat Ships Nearing End of Service Life 449
Chart 15. Air Force Budgets, 2017-2024 478
Chart 16. A Smaller and Less Diverse Nuclear Arsenal 567
Maps
Map 1. Overview of NATO's Nuclear Deterrence 113
Map 2. U.S. Access to Bases and Facilities in the Middle East 195
Map 3. Strategic Significance of the Compact of Free Association States 220
Map 4. Maritime Boundaries in the Taiwan Strait 267
Map 5. Two Pacific Island Chains 269
Map 6. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Claims in the South China Sea 270
Map 7. Chinese Fault Lines 272
Map 8. Disputed Borders Between India and China 274
Map 9. Iranian Missile Systems: Maximum Ranges 330
Map 10. Countries with Iranian Proxy Groups 333
Map 11. Iran's Nuclear Infrastructure 337
Map 12. Iranian Naval Headquarters 344
Map 13. Key U.S. Naval Installations 438
Map 14. Steaming Times to Areas of Vital U.S. National Interest 440
Map 15. U.S. Navy Global Presence 451
Map 16. U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex 572
