AP FACT CHECK: GOP candidates misstate military spending

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says the Obama administration has "gutted" every weapons system in the U.S. military's inventory.

The department's "selected acquisition reports," which detail past, current and future investments in dozens of weapons programs, show the value of the military services' modernization portfolio in November 2008 was $1.64 trillion.

The military services will no longer be sized for large, prolonged operations — a reference to the lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which involved massive reconstruction and humanitarian relief components.

The contract is part of the Pentagon's broader plan to modernize the entire nuclear force — missile-toting submarines, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and long-range bombers.

On Obama's watch, the Joint Strike Fighter — the single most expensive military project ever — has experienced significant cost, schedule, and performance setbacks that have driven up the price tag.

The Government Accountability Office estimated last year that nearly $400 billion will be needed to buy the planned 2,457 aircraft for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

[...] in 2013 automatic budget cuts known as sequestration kicked in, forcing across-the-board reductions that led to widespread concern the military services would be unprepared to fight the nation's wars.

Congress also has prohibited the retirement of the A-10 aircraft that provides close air support for ground troops.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and an advocate for bigger defense budgets, said Thursday that the force-reduction decisions were made before the growth of IS or Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

[...] McCain, the leading Republican voice in Congress on national security issues, acknowledged the difficulty of seeking more money for defense when so much is being wasted on weapons programs that exceed their expected costs.