Crisis politics makes long-term funding hard

Why is long-term defense thinking so rare in politics?

Some politicians do think beyond the next week, but constant crisis coverage and competing demands make steady long-term funding difficult.

The problem is more complicated than a total absence of long-term thinkers. Every crisis creates pressure to move available money toward the newest emergency. Because money is finite, defense planning needs stable tradeoffs and sustained funding. Repeated shifts driven by the latest news cycle make long-term force planning difficult even when some politicians are looking ahead.