A Modest Plea for a Sane Defense Budget

The Pentagon will never be forced to make choices if Congress keeps shoveling money its way

W.J. Astore

In the tradition of the U.S. Army, which talks about BLUF, or bottom line up front, here’s what I consider to be a sane defense budget for the United States: $333 billion.

I arrived at this figure by complex math. The U.S. population currently sits at just under 333 million. A reasonable figure to spend per person on national defense is $1000. Hence my figure for a sane defense budget.

How does this immense sum compare to other countries’ budgets? Russia’s defense budget (before its war with Ukraine) hovered around $70 billion a year. China’s defense budget hovered around $245 billion. So my “sane” defense budget easily surpasses the combined budgets of Russia and China, America’s main rivals, or so our military experts say.

Other countries that spend impressively on defense include Germany, France, and the U.K. But note that these are American allies; their spending should serve to lessen the need for our own.

Now, I wish to stress my budget is about defense, as in defending the U.S. against all enemies, foreign and domestic. My budget is not about projecting imperial power around the globe; it’s not about full-spectrum dominance; it’s not about spending more than a trillion dollars over the next thirty years on unneeded nuclear weapons, or more than a trillion to buy and maintain more underperforming F-35 jet fighters.

Again, my sane budget is not a war budget, an imperial budget, or a budget to enrich U.S. weapons makers. It’s a budget intended to DEFEND our country.

So, let’s now compare my sane budget to the actual “defense” budget planned for FY2023. It appears that budget will likely exceed $833 billion, more than half a trillion higher than mine!

What could America do with half a trillion dollars? Think of how many good-paying jobs we could create, how much better our country could be, with safer roads and bridges, more alternative sources of energy, improved schools and hospitals, a cleaner environment. How about drinking water without lead in it? The list is long because we have so many needs as a country.

It wasn’t that long ago that $300 billion was considered more than enough for national defense. But since 9/11 the budget has spiraled upwards as the U.S. government pursued forever wars like Iraq and Afghanistan that ended disastrously. Things are now so bad that the Pentagon can’t even begin to pass a basic audit. Send a small army of accountants to the Pentagon and the brass surrenders instantly.

$333 billion is still an enormous sum of money, yet there will be many who’ll suggest this figure isn’t close to being enough for the brass, all those wearing stars who call the shots. My response: try it. If it doesn’t work, you can always boost the budget. But if you really want the Pentagon to think creatively, cut the budget to $333 billion and watch the real wars begin within the five-sided puzzle palace on the Potomac.

76 thoughts on “A Modest Plea for a Sane Defense Budget”

      1. Actually somewhere on the internet I saw that US military spending was exactly twice the sum of ALL other countries in the World combined!

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Click on the start arrow Jeff. The video will start and run all the way to 2022. Duh.

          Like

  2. From the “Give Me A Ficking Break” Department:

    ‘NAZI HUNTER’ ELI ROSENBAUM TO LEAD DOJ TEAM INVESTIGATING WAR CRIMES IN UKRAINE
    by Jared Gans

    The former director of the Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigations, which was responsible for identifying and deporting Nazi war criminals, will lead a team to investigate war crimes that have occurred in Ukraine.

    The Justice Department (DOJ) announced in a release Tuesday that Eli Rosenbaum, who has served in the department for 36 years, will lead the War Crimes Accountability Team, which will focus on war crimes and atrocities committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    “Working alongside our domestic and international partners, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WILL BE RELENTLESS IN OUR EFFORTS TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE EVERY PERSON COMPLICIT IN THE COMMISSION OF WAR CRIMES, TORTURE, AND OTHER GRAVE VIOLATIONS DURING THE UNPROVOKED CONFLICT IN UKRAINE,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the release. [EMPHASIS added.]

    Continued at https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3531255-nazi-hunter-eli-rosenbaum-to-lead-doj-team-investigating-war-crimes-in-ukraine/

    When will every person complicit in the commission of war crimes, torture, and other grave violations committed during America’s Forever War in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and the rest be held accountable?

    And by Whom?

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Those days are coming to an end, Colonel. Just like it did on The British, the Sun has begun to set on The American Empire.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. To say nothing of just like it did on the USSR’s, Mao’s, Roosevelt’s, Hitler’s, the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires’, and so forth, back to Genghis Khan’s, Alexander The Great’s, Moses’, Muhammed’s, and Jesus’, and so forth.

          Liked by 1 person

  3. William, have you ever seen a breakdown in how much we spend on what could be called “defense”, such as building planes, etc. vs how much we spend on enforcing our global hegemony (i.e. wars)? Do they just shoehorn war spending into the defense budget or do they keep it separate?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. This is a good start Alex.
      Google William Hartung.

      Pentagon -$575-billion
      War Budget – $64-billion
      Nuclear Warheads – $20-billion
      Other defense -$8-billion
      Homeland Security -$50-billion
      Military Aid -$7-billion
      Intelligence – $70-billion (!)
      Supporting veterans – $186-billion
      Military retirement – $80-billon
      Defense share of interest on debt – $100-billion
      TOTAL – $1,160-billion.

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    2. Hi Alex: The Pentagon used to have a separate budget for the war on terror, or “overseas contingency operations.” This was meant to disguise how the budget was soaring, mainly because of the Iraq and Afghan Wars.

      William Hartung is very good on parsing the Pentagon budget. Certain “moneys” go to “procurement,” i.e. buying weapons. Other “moneys” go to O&M (operations and maintenance). Also, and obviously, personnel costs (wages and benefits). It can be, and is probably meant to be, confusing to outsiders.

      Personally, I’d cut off all funding (except for the most essential costs, like salary) to the Pentagon until it was able to pass an audit. I bet that would fix things! That audit would get done in record time.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Some pundits on the internet have proffered that auditing the US military would be an IMPOSSIBLE task.
        Akin to putting a man on Mars! It could not be done no matter the effort and expenditure.

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        1. Oh, it’s possible. The results, however, will be both embarrassing and grim. So no results. See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.

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        2. Dennis, there would be a lot more people trying to prevent a successful audit than there would be trying to complete a successful audit.

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          1. Not to digress, but putting humans on Mars is eminently doable. Not easy, but doable. The question is why? We’ve sent probes there; sending humans would likely cost hundreds of billions, because we’d like them to come back in one piece, right? And what could they discover on Mars that probes couldn’t?

            Maybe the Chinese will get there first. After all, it’s the red planet. (Groan.)

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        4. Imagine having half a decade to clean up your books. Public companies would be de-listed from exchanges for this.

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        1. Watson Institute (“Costs of War”) estimates $8 Trillion on post 9/11 wars, which I take it does not include base budgeting. Tucker Carlson on one of his broadcasts mentioned briefly a $3 Trillion cost for Ukraine/Russia, which I assume includes reconstruction costs for Ukraine. Don’t know where he got that number from but it would seem to be in line with the other $8 Trillion. Inflation you know, makes everything higher. I’m sure if they’re talking with Zelenskyy about such a total that might account for his enthusiasm for the project.
          https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/economic

          Liked by 2 people

    1. Ha! No. Just by writing this article, I’ve disqualified myself.

      In all seriousness, I really appreciate your sentiment. But I also appreciate the ability to speak my mind. To be honest. A politician (for a major party) is a liar. A dissembler. A manipulator. Even a con artist, which is a big reason why Trump won in 2016. He’ll say anything to make a buck. Most politicians will say anything to raise a buck. Trump was, bizarrely, refreshingly honest or transparent with his lying. Much less slimy than Ted Cruz, for example.

      It’s a corrupt and corrupting system, and I’d be no good at it.

      Perhaps if you run as a 3rd-party candidate without much money, but how then do you win when the system’s lifeblood is money? I admire those who try, like Matt Hoh, who’s running for the senate under the Green Party in North Carolina.

      Check him out. https://www.matthewhohforsenate.org/

      I sent Matt some money. He’s a good dude. Honest and principled.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Dennis: We don’t have to worry about Chinese anti-ship missiles if the Ford-class carriers can’t engage the enemy due to faulty catapults and elevators.

      It’s all by design, Dennis … 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hahahahah – never thought of that Bill.
        But I guess the US is going to build two more just like it- is that right?

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  7. Just curious and a bit Off Topic [but not really]: Has anybody heard from the Sandersistas, AOC n Squad, and Warrenite wing of American politics on their thoughts about Assange?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I heard AOC took her time but tweeted against it. A tweet! That’ll scare them.

      Sanders, Warren: I haven’t heard. I don’t expect much. Warren I doubt will say anything.

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          1. Sorry, Dennis. But that was 2019, before the Presidential campaigns, and is thus totlly and completely irrelevant. As is anything those two have to say on this matter today.

            Liked by 1 person

    2. Check that. I can’t find a clear statement from AOC.

      But Ilhan Omar has some moxie. She tweeted this: “The prosecution of Assange is still indefensible!”

      Well, it’s a start.

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  8. MTG, Ilhan Omar SPEAK OUT For Julian Assange | Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

    Quoting Congresswoman Margorie Taylor Greene [R-GA]:

    “If we really care about the 1st Amendment then we should care about Julian Assange.
    Freedom of Press is the protection of the ability to expose the truth and publish it.
    This should always be protected and this freedom should always be handled with the most respect.

    “If they are upset over the Khashoggi killing then they should be upset over Julian Assange.
    Is the American press afraid to speak out against the U.S. extradition of Julian Assange?
    Is it because it’s not another government prosecution or attack on a journalist but yet our own?

    “The ruling regime in America persecutes their enemies in order to strike fear in anyone who dares to expose the corruption and stand up against it.
    What happens when everyone becomes too afraid to tell the truth & publish it?
    Silence will protect evil.”

    One day this might rank up there with “These are times that try Men’s Souls… .” If we are lucky.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Sorry, Dennis. i missed Your post. But my conclusion about the American Media still stands.

        [Nore: That’s a good example of why WordPress needs to add Editing options [including Deleting/Correcting]. Either that, or Bracing Views should switch to Disqus, which is much more versatile and user friendly.]

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Did you see WJA and my discussion on this yesterday Jeff – I think it was yesterday?
          It seems these better commentary software packages are expensive.

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          1. Repaeting what WJA said yesterday Jeff in case you missed it ……

            “I have heard from a WP “happiness engineer,” Dennis, who gave me the following info:
            After a bit of digging I found the following things:

            Comments are technically owned by the site owner (not the commenter) after they’re submitted, hence why there’s no way to edit or delete comments you’ve left: https://wordpress.com/support/comments/#edit-or-delete-a-comment-you-made

            There are two ways you could enable more control on formatting comments:

            Enabling Markdown by following these instructions: https://wordpress.com/support/wordpress-editor/blocks/markdown-block/#enabling-markdown

            Installing a plugin like the following (which would require that you upgrade your site to either our Pro or Business plan at least): https://wordpress.com/plugins/wpdiscuz/bracingviews.com

            All that being said, I am also submitting these ideas as a feature request. Thank you for these suggestions.

            So, it appears I’d have to “upgrade” my site, i.e. spend more money, and add a plug-in”

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    2. We should remember where this despicable persecution of Julian Assange began: namely, with the Wikileaks publication of documents and videos detailing U.S. corporate/military crimes in Iraq and other imperial colonies. Much of this information came to Wikileaks and then to us citizens courtesy of a sexually confused — after long periods of imprisonment and torture — U.S. Army private. Naturally, one U.S. President after another could not countenance the unveiling of war crimes by a predecessor American regime (or succession of them) hoping for preemptive legal absolution (of the Ford/Nixon variety) for similar crimes they fully intended to perpetrate themselves. In other words:

      “The Ship of State leaks from the top” — U.S. President John F. Kennedy

      “Kill the chicken, scare the monkey” — Ancient Chinese proverb

      Free Bradley Manning (in forty-four syllables)

      Petulant President
      Barack Obama who
      Hates him some leakers (just
      Not from the top),
      Makes an example of
      Low-level privates so
      Cabinet ministers
      Don’t have to stop.

      Michael Murry, “The Misfortune Teller,” Copyright © 2012

      Moving forward in time through another decade of despicable American regimes (in the same syllabic accent style):

      “Blame, in every case, appears to be a modification, often accompanied by a transference, or “projection” of the primary feeling of self-reproach” — Charles Sanders Peirce

      Stenographers’ Assange Envy

      Julian languishes,
      Rotting in prison while
      Those he exposed speak of
      “Character flaws”
      Which they attribute to
      Him while they trample on
      Every last vestige of
      Freedom and “Laws.”

      Julian published the
      Truth about governments’
      Wars and corruption and
      Criminal lies,
      Things other “journalists”
      Should have uncovered, too,
      But since they didn’t they
      Hope that he dies.

      Michael Murry, “The Misfortune Teller,” Copyright © 2021

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Woah oh good two new great “Oxymorons” to add to the List lol: “Refreshingly honest lying” and “Transparent Lying” Right up there w/ “accurate estimate, “Jumbo Shrimp”, and one of my faves. “original copy” Anyone who’d want to enter Politics in this day & age should have their heads examined for holes…!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. “All Cretans lie.” — Epimenides of Knossos (himself a Cretan)

        Truthful Cretan Liars

        I lied when I said that I spoke the truth,
        And I speak the truth when I say that I lied.
        I come from a land where they think it uncouth
        To utilize language that hasn’t yet died
        Because they prefer to sell War to their youth
        While shedding fake tears at the Peace they’ve decried.

        I tell you for sure that I mean what I say,
        And you must believe me ’cause you’ve got no way
        To know if from paths straight and narrow I’ll stray
        Whenever I want what you’ve got on your tray.

        I merely speak noises which I have observed
        Make people do just about any damn thing;
        While, still, for my own inner self I’ve reserved
        What I really mean by the sounds that I sing,
        Leaving up to my listeners what they have deserved
        For thinking they know why the words soothe or sting.

        My lies I support with true evidence scant;
        But since I regard you as one potted plant,
        I’m sure that you’ll swallow my self-serving rant
        Even though it consists of discredited cant

        I truthfully lie, and as falsely speak true
        While reason and ethics I ceaselessly flout.
        I’m Jabberwock captain of one hopeless crew
        Who followed me in where no one can get out.
        So breathe in the smoke that I’ve exhaled at you
        And lie down, saluting, the true lies I spout.

        Michael Murry, “The Misfortune Teller,” Copyright © 2010

        Liked by 2 people

        1. Heh. Very Nice. Not to be a pick-nitter or nothin’; but is that Tale of The Cretan about a bunch of Ox-like Morons, or just a bunch of Paradoxical Criminals?

          Liked by 1 person

    2. And.., the Day & Age I’m speaking of is: The Present : The Age— is of course: The Age of Stupidity…! :/ :o)

      Like

  10. So Colonel and Dennis: How is it that Mr Murry is able to have italics, bold prints, and quote marks. and nobody else can? Is he on a different subscription with WordPress than everybody else?

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    1. Because Mr Murry uses codes that the software recognizes. For example, you can italicize a word by enclosing it in on both sides. I’ll try it here for Trump.

      Assuming that worked, you have to be sure to use them correctly, or every word will be italicized if you fail to turn it off.

      So Mr Murry is able to do it because he puts in extra effort. Or maybe he’s just a magician. 🙂

      P.S. If you put a colon/dash/right parentheses, I think you can “smile” too. 🙂

      Like

    2. If I might venture a word of explanation here, JG, anyone can apply HTML — or Hypertext Markup Language — to their text postings in WordPress, as I just did by making the word “anyone” appear in bold font. The same goes for words or characters that you wish to appear in “italics.” You will have to type in pairs of “tags” (angle brackets like <> and </>) around the text you wish to treat in some special manner with the letter “b” for bold and “i” for italics inside the enclosing brackets. You will see the bracketed tags as you type them, but once you submit your comment the WordPress software will eat those tags (if you have typed them properly) and you will only see the results in the published comments. At any rate, you can search the Internet for all sorts of information about HTML tags and what they can do for you. Even a little of this can get quite tedious, however, and if you forget the closing tag (like ) you can get a lot of text in bold font that you really didn’t intend to treat in that way, as I did in the Stenographers’ Assange Envy poem I messed up above. (I only wanted the poem title and not the entire poem in bold font.)

      Anyway, I program the HTML code on my own website (too cheap to hire a real programmer) and have pretty much everything I’ve written in verse listed under the Poetic License menu choice at the top of the home page. As I say on the subtitle to that page, “Freedom means absence of restraint. License means taking advantage of it.” So when I want to post a poem on this website or others, I usually just cut and paste what I’ve already written years previously (since nothing much changes in the bungling U.S. corporate plutocratic oligarchy). Still, I can screw up occasionally by trying to add some HTML to the text here and there. So you can get into this if you want, but you ought to do so advisedly. Good luck in your new programming adventure.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Jeff, This woman surely is the female TRUMP with all her inconvenient truth bombs eh? LOL
    I happen to agree with a lot of her points here oh dear!
    (And WJA used a smiley face today – so yes how are they doing it?
    Somebody said its because they are posting on their iphones – I’m not that smart!)

    Like

    1. What particular comments did she make about January 6 that You refer to as “inconvenient facts” and “truth bombs,” Dennis?

      And which particular points of hers do You agree with?

      Do You think Trump actually won in 2020; and that the election was “stolen”?

      Like

      1. That this whole Jan 6 insurrection “trial” is a political charade. I think that is the truth.

        As for election being stolen – I’m about as sure of that as I am sure about the facts of the JFK assassination or 9/11. Who knows what the truth is eh?

        Then again the whole American system of electing the President is a charade anyway. Systemically flawed -with the closed/open primaries, Super Delegates, Electoral College et all.

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        1. If that’s what she said about the 1/6 investigation, then i agree with her 100%. Just like the two impeachments were political charades.

          And i also agree with You that the American system of electing its President is a charade. As is the electing of its Senators and Representatives. And many, if not most, elected officials at the State and Local levels, as well.

          And as far as “the Truth” goes, Dennis; let me ask You this: How sure are You that Saddam’s WMDs and ties to al-Qaeda were Bullshit? Or that there were no Kuwaiti Incubator Babies? Or that an attack on American warships in the Tonkin Gulf was an open, bald-faced lie?

          And as far as JFK and 9/11 are concerned: Why ~ 59 years after the former and 21 years after the latter ~ WHY do the American People still not know EVERYTHING about those events that their government knows, and still keeps “secret” from them?

          Got any thoughts on that?

          Liked by 1 person

          1. You don’t have to keep beating me across the head with your 2×4 Jeff!
            I get your point – “The gubmint does not want us peasants to know” – Did I get it right?

            Liked by 1 person

        2. “Reference sources indicate that over the past 200 years, more than 700 proposals have been introduced in Congress to reform or eliminate the Electoral College.

          There have been more proposals for Constitutional amendments on changing the Electoral College than on any other subject.

          The American Bar Association has criticised the Electoral College as “archaic” and “ambiguous” and its polling showed 69 percent of lawyers favoured abolishing it in 1987…

          Public opinion polls have shown Americans favoured abolishing it by majorities of 58 percent in 1967; 81 percent in 1968; and 75 percent in 1981.

          Opinions on the viability of the Electoral College system may be affected by attitudes toward third parties.

          Third parties have not fared well in the Electoral College system.”

          https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2008/11/01/analysis-the-complex-system-that-elects-a-us-president/

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  13. Are we really at war? In the New York Times a few days ago!

    “Our role in the seven-year conflict in Yemen has been robust enough that many experts believe the Saudi-led coalition would sue for peace without it. It has been robust enough that American lawmakers — including a bipartisan majority of senators in 2019 and Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington, and Peter DeFazio, Democrat of Oregon, this year — have characterized it as a violation of Article I of the Constitution, which grants Congress the power to declare war, and of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which sharply limits, in nature and timeline, military action initiated by the president.
    We crossed the line in Yemen, those lawmakers concluded, even if it’s not wholly clear where the line is.

    And what we’ve done in Yemen looks a lot like what we’re doing in Ukraine. Last month, leaks by U.S. officials revealed that the United States helped Ukraine to kill Russian generals and strike a Russian warship, and Mr. Biden signed a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine, a lot of which is for military assistance like weaponry and intelligence sharing. The bill, which Ms. Jayapal and Mr. DeFazio voted for, comes on top of billions of prior military support. The Biden administration also announced, this month, that it will send rocket systems to Ukraine that could theoretically strike inside Russian territory, and it reportedly has plans to sell the Ukrainian government four drones that can be armed with Hellfire missiles.

    Are we at war in Ukraine? If we swapped places — if Russian apparatchiks admitted helping to kill American generals or sink a U.S. Navy vessel — I doubt we’d find much ambiguity there. At the very least, what the United States is doing in Ukraine is not not war. If we have so far avoided calling it war, and can continue to do so, maybe that’s only because we’ve become so uncertain of the meaning of the word.

    https://www.defensepriorities.org/expert-features/2022-06-20-the-new-york-times-are-we-sure-america-is-not-at-war-in-ukraine

    Liked by 2 people

  14. The closest thing to an operative definition of “War” ~ for Americans these days and for at least the last 20 years, if not since 1975 and the Fall of Saigon ~ is a video game somebody else is playing and paying for, in Blood and Treasure.

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  15. Americans are big on “support the troops” rightfully so. The exorbitant defense budget isn’t reflected in the sentiment. The troops are not benefiting from the massive spending. Military pay is fairly decent, from what I’ve been able to read, but base housing on the whole is pretty bad. Support structures such as mental health assistance is very poor. Sexual assaults, sex and racial discrimination, family support are all issues that are not receiving attention, in spite of the massive defense spending. Also, I’m wondering what the rest of you think of the newest military branch, Space Force.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Americans “Support the Troops” as long as it doesn’t involve doing anything more than buying new bumper stickers and yard signs for the new War, in a place most of them can’t find on a map of the Planet.

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    3. Jerry, the number of military veterans who commit suicide maybe supports your hypothesis that the troops are not the ones benefiting from all this money.

      “Space Force” –

      ” The moon and other celestial bodies shall be used by all States Parties to the Treaty exclusively for peaceful purposes. The establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the conduct of military manoeuvres on celestial bodies shall be forbidden.” Article IV of The Outer Space Treaty entered into effect in October 1967. It is the second “nonarmament” treaty (the first being the Antarctic Treaty of 1961).

      https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/legal-agreements-space-weapons#:~:text=The%20establishment%20of%20military%20bases%2C%20installations%20and%20fortifications%2C,any%20other%20peaceful%20purposes%20shall%20not%20be%20prohibited.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. There shouldn’t be a space force because it militarizes space, making it much more likely we’ll soon be having “Star Wars.”

        We sure are good at exporting wars. And then we wonder why America is so violent at home. What a mystery!

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  16. What a surprise eh Jerry!

    Strong and almost unanimous opposition to weaponization of space has been expressed in the United Nations Conference on Disarmament. China and Russia have drafted text for a treaty to ban space weapons. The United States, however, has refused to enter negotiations on such a treaty.

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    1. the dis-US and its israeli sidekick are lethiferous rogue states, den, the likes of which have never been witnessed in human history in terms of their monumental powers of destruction for every habitat, every lifeform extant on our vulnerable blue dot and beyond.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. I have a modest plea: (1) Stop using the Orwellian euphemism “Defense” and hereafter refer honestly and openly to the “War” Department, with funding to come from a War Profits Tax levied on those who reap the benefits of permanent war without bearing its costs. (2) No standing “national” military. 50 state militias, a Coast Guard, and a few dozen nukes ought to do just fine for any real defense that Canada, Mexico, and the fish in two oceans don’t already provide gratis.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, the War Department was much more honest. But even “defense” has been broadened to “national security,” with “preemptive war” treated as a form of “defense.”

      Looks like we’ll have war because the owners and operators want war, and enough Americans are willing to salute smartly and serve (or cheer along).

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  18. From Quora

    Why do so many Americans support increasing the US military budget when the US currently spends more than twice the amount of Russia and China combined?
    Joe Mills, Hesitant Republican
    Written Oct 2, 2018
    The purpose of China and Russia’s military is to fight the US on their soil. (and crack down on rebellion)
    The “purpose” of the US’s military is to fight China and Russia on their soil.

    .
    The US spends roughly three times as much as even the second largest military spender, China, on their military every year, and more than six times as much as Russia. Is the US military actually three times better than China’s? Six times better than Russia’s ?
    Brian Collins, American living in Australia
    Updated Oct 11, 2015

    How can it be explained that Russia spends only 11% of US Military spending ($1.350.000.000) and it has forces that are 71% from US forces?
    Hisey Patton, former Senior Geologist/Manager (2004-2015)
    Written Oct 31, 2016

    In light of America’s status as “world police,” the rise of China and resurrection of Russia, and the US’s massive military spending, could economic, political, & military factors cause the US to spend itself to collapse the same way the USSR did?
    Mitchel Granat
    Updated Aug13, 2017

    Does President Trump realize that US spends more on military than the next 10 nations combined?
    Bob Sullivan, works at McDonald’s
    Written Jan 29, 2017
    Probably. That’s why he has been so aggressive about reducing procurement costs for the F35, Air Force 1, the F-22, Stryker, even before he was sworn in

    Between America and Russia, which one has the most powerful military?
    Aleksey Aleksandrovich, lives in The United States of America (1999-present)
    Updated May 23
    Even before the war in Ukraine Russian military wasnt even in the same universe with the American one. Sure, they got nukes that they proudly parade on Red Square every yea…

    Would Russia and China be willing to reduce their military spending if the U.S. did the same?
    Matthew Franklin, 5 years Active Infantry, 3 years Reserves w/United States Army, OEF/OIF vet.
    Written May 10, 2016
    Well, if we look at the US, Russia, and China from each country’s perspective you might be surprised at what would be appropriate for their defense priorities.

    Given that the US military spends 3x more than China and 10x more than Russia, how are these other nations neck and neck with the US militarily?
    Phil Thomson, studied Software Engineering
    Written Dec 26, 2019

    If the US spends so much on its military, why aren’t we years ahead of other countries?
    Mike DeAngelo, Software Architect at Looker
    Written Jul 13, 2017.

    Like

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