Mackenzie Eaglen (@MEaglen) / X

Mackenzie Eaglen

4,227 posts

Mackenzie Eaglen

@MEaglen

Senior fellow for natsec @AEI Co-Chair Future of @USNavy Commission Frmr @US_AWC Board of Visitors & @USArmy Science Board @MasonNatSec & @hamiltonsoc

Washington, DC

aei.org/profile/macken…

Joined February 2010

Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Nov 16, 2024
A pleasure to highlight China’s actual military spending and its outsized investments in combat power—dwarfing those of its Indo-Pacific neighbors.
Senator Eric Schmitt
@SenEricSchmitt
Nov 14, 2024
Had a great conversation with @MEaglen at @AEI yesterday afternoon. We covered China’s military spending and how the U.S. can counter the rising threat that China poses.
335K
Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Aug 9, 2023
Beijing's military budget $$$ is *much* larger than the Chinese Communist Party reports publicly.
658K
Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Aug 22, 2024
China not only spends about what the United States does per annum on its military, Beijing outspends America’s allies in Asia on defense by 5:1 — increasingly tipping the scales away from freedom & stability.
154K
Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Apr 27, 2024
Did you know the Predator drone was initially an "earmark" in Congress--forced on the Pentagon? Tomahawk missile, a "weapon of choice" for military commanders, wouldn't be in production today if not for Congress. Same with small sats, commercial data analytics, or the SLCM-N.
58K
Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Jun 22, 2018
Top Pentagon intelligence official testified yesterday that China currently has 16 mega "Manhattan-style" projects underway. (The U.S. = 0) Global share of R&D spending from 2000 - 2015: United States dropped 11% China increased 21%
Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Jun 25, 2023
America’s spy agencies said China’s military budget is actually ~$700B, far higher than Beijing claims. Factor in lower labor costs, mil-civ “fusion,” PPP, much hard power classified as non-military, & no need to fight an away game, it’s even higher ↗️
19fortyfive.com
China’s Real Military Budget Is Far Bigger Than It Looks
While Congress considers legislation to better approximate China’s military spending, the trend is clearly nothing but upward while America’s defense budget declines.
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Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Oct 12, 2023
Chinese shipyards have the capacity to build surface ships & submarines 232 times greater than America (in terms of gross tonnage). Source: US Navy
Andrew Erickson 艾立信
@AndrewSErickson
Oct 11, 2023
Ron O’Rourke’s Latest @CRS4Congress Report—“#China #Naval Modernization: Implications for @USNavy Capabilities” bit.ly/_CRS23 USG/N Info on PLAN Ships & Projections of #s Lead thru 2040! Many citations to @NavalWarCollege/@ChinaMaritime pubs, including from our
135K
Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Apr 10, 2024
US Navy shipbuilding is entering its version of the "doom loop" with a budget for today that shrinks the fleet further *and* cuts new ship investments for tomorrow--ensuring there are no plans for recovery to grow the fleet again anytime soon ⚠️
The Navy Needs to Fix Its Cash Flow Problem to Grow the Fleet
From aei.org
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Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Apr 4, 2018
It's time for a gut check on Washington's growing preference to instinctively reach for the U.S. military as the preferred tool to address problems outside its core missions.
Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Apr 21, 2022
It is simply unsustainable to remain a global power with global reach at this pace of operations with an ever-shrinking Navy.
Navies Need, You Know, Ships
From aei.org
Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Feb 14, 2019
Horrible change of precedent for executive authority and the interpretation of “emergency.” 🚨The pilfering of funds from other legislatively-approved priorities is simply an end run around Congress and checks and balances. 🚨 And It will ultimately degrade military readiness 🚨
Tony Bertuca
@TonyBertuca
Feb 14, 2019
FYI: AEI analysts @MEaglen and @bergerrichard weighed in earlier this week in the WSJ...and said DON'T:
Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Jun 30, 2025
Operation “Midnight Hammer” showcased a sad fact: America’s B-2 bomber fleet is large enough for a raid. Not a battle, and certainly not a war.
Why the U.S. Needs 200 B-21 Raider Stealth Bombers, Not 100
From 19fortyfive.com
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Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Aug 8, 2017
Violence & killing in the name of the state should be left to those sworn to defend it and the Constitution. usatoday.com/story/news/wor…
Mackenzie Eaglen
@MEaglen
Apr 26, 2018
Worried about still-small-but-growing ethical rot atop the US military flag/general officer ranks. This is not limited to sex abuse/assault, but more a growing culture of entitlement, accoutrements, abuse of power, lack of accountability, toxic leadership & disdain for oversight