Question

Why did President Ronald Reagan encourage Congress to increase defense spending

Answer 1

Answer: Specifically, Defense Department officials said that if Soviet forces were to invade the Persian Gulf region, the United States should have the capability to hit back there or in Cuba, Libya, Vietnam or the Asian land mass of the Soviet Union itself.

Explanation:

"Funds for the European front and for strategic nuclear forces will rise, but the sharpest increases will go to equipment, supplies, military construction and airlift and sealift capability for the Rapid Deployment Force. The philosophy behind this, according to senior Pentagon officials, is that the United States must not simply be able to respond to an attack by the Soviet Union wherever it occurs, but also be able to strike back at areas of Soviet weakness."