Story highlights Last week, President Donald Trump proposed a budget with a $54 billion increase to the Department of Defense

Daniel B. Baer: A portion of that increase should be allotted to military personnel

Daniel B. Baer was the US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe from 2013 to 2017. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.

(CNN) The headlines surrounding President Donald Trump's first budget have focused on what he proposes for each federal agency: slashing the EPA by 31%, reducing the State Department and USAID budget by 29% and giving $54 billion more to the Department of Defense.

The top-line numbers of the budget, which was crafted with the help of Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, have been so drastic that there has been relatively little focus on what's underneath.

Many Republicans have cheered the $54 billion proposed increase in defense spending -- not just because the defense contractors who are disproportionately contributors to their campaigns stand to gain, but also because military spending is an evergreen issue with the GOP base. And these days, Republicans are desperate to find points on which they can agree with a Republican White House that is out of step with the traditional policies of the party of Reagan.

Daniel B. Baer

But cheering for a number rather than a plan misses the point: the goal isn't to spend more, it's to achieve outcomes. Our military should be funded at a level that allows it to maintain unquestionable global dominance, including its ability to operate in multiple theaters simultaneously and to effectively counter emerging threats and challenges like cyberattacks.

To achieve these goals, any budget that increases defense spending should include an investment in our most important military asset: our men and women in uniform, specifically the 1.1 million active-duty enlisted personnel in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.

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