Opinion: We need to help Ukraine now or fight a more costly war later.

Editor’s note: Mark T. Esper served as Secretary of Defense in the Trump administration and is the author of the book “Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense in Extraordinary Times.” He serves on the board of the McCain Institute. Mr. Esper serves as a director or strategic advisor to several aerospace and defense companies. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.See more opinion On CNN.

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With Russia resurgent in Ukraine and proxy wars expanding across the Middle East, one important question weighs on everyone’s mind: Is the United States still a reliable ally willing to lead the free world? Whether Congress chooses to continue providing much-needed financial assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan will go a long way toward answering this question. And don’t get me wrong, our allies aren’t the only ones wondering. Our enemies are equally meticulous.

For the past few months, Congress has been deadlocked over approving this funding. Meanwhile, the need for this support from our partners continues to grow, particularly in Ukraine, where soldiers are rationing ammunition as stockpiles are dangerously low and Russian indiscriminate concentrations in civilian areas. Additional air defense systems are needed to protect against artillery fire. Without new U.S. support, the arms pipeline to Ukraine will continue to decline in the coming months, directly impacting what happens on the battlefield. The recent loss of the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka in the face of relentless Russian onslaught has been blamed in part on an insufficient supply of Western artillery shells. The size and scope of this shortfall grows with each passing month, and we will see one city after another fall into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin as Washington continues to become dysfunctional.

This additional aid is not charity. In the case of Ukraine, more than 60 percent of the military aid appropriated by Congress since the war began has benefited the U.S. economy. Funds approved for arms deliveries to Ukraine are helping the U.S. replenish its weapons stockpile and build new systems, resulting in a huge cash injection to factories and workers in more than 30 states. . It has also had a beneficial effect on revitalizing the U.S. defense industrial base, which is especially important in preparing for the larger threat posed by Communist China.

Republicans are right to express concern about the national debt and budget deficit. Both are prohibitively expensive and unsustainable. But these important fiscal issues should not take precedence over national security, nor should government officials be forced to choose one regional issue over another, or even over border security. there is no. After all, it will advance America’s own security interests and values ​​and help our democratic partners defend themselves against authoritarian states around the world. In a world where Ukraine succeeds in repelling a Russian invasion, Israel dismantles Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists, and Taiwan thwarts a Chinese attack, we are far better off than living with the alternative. There will be.

Failure to provide ongoing support will have a significant negative impact. First, it would make allies around the world doubt America’s leadership and resolve. Amidst the turmoil surrounding the Ukraine crisis, international partners are already expressing considerable concern. Certainly, NATO members need to do more, starting with fulfilling their decade-old promise to spend 2% of GDP on defense, and they also need to secure their southern borders, but both are is not a sufficient reason to cause Much-needed American weapons and other supplies were sourced from Kiev.

It is also true that this war could last many more years and require the support of the United States and other Western powers for just as long. President Joe Biden did an admirable job of rallying NATO to Ukraine’s defense two years ago, but Kiev’s repeated reluctance to provide the weapons it needs when it is needed is likely to lead to Ukraine’s counterattack. History will judge this as the main reason for its failure. This war will last a long time. But these are still not good reasons to deny the brave Ukrainian people the weapons they need to push back Russian forces, exhausting Moscow in the process and possibly leading to a resolution favorable to Kiev. .

European allies are not the only ones watching with concern. As China continues to threaten the Indo-Pacific, key partners such as Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines are watching closely to see whether Washington lets Kiev fail. If the US is not willing to help Ukraine repel a Russian invasion that does not require US military involvement, how can Taiwan expect us to come to their aid if China rebels against them? Can you believe it? This is an act of aggression that could require a much larger military force. Is there a possibility that American treasure will be invested and the US military will be involved?

Not approving additional funding will only embolden our enemies. The suggestion that China, Russia, and Iran can be treated as separate threats is no longer credible. This authoritarian axis works in concert with the goal of undermining American leadership and dismantling international rules and norms. Countries are closely monitoring how the United States responds to attacks and provocations. How effectively we can counter one (or not), it absolutely affects the calculation of the other.

Just as America’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan emboldened Russia to invade its neighbor, leaving Ukraine now will further spur aggression from this authoritarian axis. If Putin is successful in Ukraine, there is little evidence that he will be content to stop there, raising the possibility that the United States and NATO will eventually be drawn into direct confrontation with Russia. Some of our allies are physically fortifying their borders for such a future.

A little further away in the Middle East, Iran and its proxies could further destabilize the region. Without bolder action from Washington, close allies Israel and the US military will come under even more pressure. And if Chinese leader Xi Jinping believes that America’s resolve will easily crumble as we look inward, he calculates that even a stalemate will ultimately work in China’s favor. Therefore, the possibility that China will take military action against Taiwan will only increase.

Allies and adversaries alike are trying to connect the dots, even if some U.S. officials are unable or unwilling to do so. We cannot leave any doubt as to our credibility or resolve as allies, and we must not abandon our partners on the front lines of this fight. Politics should be set aside, and politicians who ostracize allies, coddle dictators, and advocate downsizing America should be ignored. Engaging abroad, deterring conflict, and helping friends defeat aggression is the right thing to do, but it is also clearly expensive. But the consequences of not doing so are much greater in the long run. Leadership is certainly a heavy cross to bear, but the benefits of doing so will always outweigh the costs and favor the United States, especially in the face of clear threats.