What Has Trump Done For The US Military?

Since his inauguration in January, Donald Trump has been far from quiet about military matters.

Now, after a string of controversial announcements, the Commander in Chief has declared that he will be sending more troops to Afghanistan in an effort to combat terrorism.

Before even coming into office, he promised 90,000 more soldiers, 42 more ships and 100 additional fighter aircraft.

He said at the time of his campaign:

"I'm gonna build a military that's gonna be much stronger than it is right now. It's gonna be so strong, nobody's gonna mess with us. But you know what? We can do it for a lot less."

But how far has he achieved the goals he set out in his campaign?

Here’s a timeline of his important military decisions throughout the last eight months:

January:

Defence Secretary: Trump Signs a waiver to allow General James Mattis to serve as defence secretary.

Military strength: Trump makes an executive order to provide new resources and equipment to strengthen the U.S. military. The order instructs new Defence Secretary James Mattis to assess the country's military and nuclear capabilities.

CIA:  The CIA is added to Trump's National Security Council.

February:

Spending Boost: In his first budget proposal, Trump seeks to boost Pentagon spending by $54bn (£43bn) - a rise of around 9% from the previous year.

March:

Germany Owes NATO: Donald Trump says Germany owes "vast sums of money" to NATO, and must “meet its end of the bargain” if it wishes to benefit from the military alliance.

April:

US Airstrikes In Syria: The US launch a cruise missile attack on a Syrian airfield in response to Assad’s use of chemical weapons. This marks the beginning of the US’s role as a direct combatant against Assad’s regime. Trump goes on to state that the strikes were in "the vital national security interest" of the US.

NATO “Not Obsolete: Donald Trump declares that NATO is “no longer obsolete” - a U turn from his pre-presidential position where he stated that the organisation was "obsolete because it was designed many, many years ago".

May: 

James Comey Dismissal: Trump addresses his decision to dismiss James Comey, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, over allegations that he had worked with Russia in his election campaign. 

June:

Trump Warns Assad:  The White House releases a statement warning that should the Assad regime carry out “another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price."

July:

Transgender Ban: Trump says in a series of tweets that transgender people will no longer be allowed to serve in “any capacity” in the US military, citing the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” as his reasoning.

August

North Korea Tensions Increase: Tensions with North Korea increase after the country tests Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles, giving rise to powerful rhetoric from both sides. Trump promises to unleash ‘fire and fury’ on North Korea should they attack the U.S. territory of Guam.

Commitment To More Afghan Troops: The President vows to win the war in Afghanistan by increasing the number of troops stationed there; he calls on NATO allies to do the same. The move comes as a surprise as Mr Trump previously stressed the need for the withdrawal of troops from the area.