Military Spending in America
Military Spending in America
The United States ranks first in the world for our excessive military spending and is responsible for 43% of the global distribution of military expenditure. China comes in a not-so-close second holding responsibility for 7.3% of global distribution of military expenditure. Military spending in the U.S. increased throughout the War on Terror and the Afghanistan and Iraq invasions. In recent years, however, military spending has begun to slow down due to war reductions. With effects of the global financial crisis, our military budget will continue to be pressured to decrease in order to bring ourselves out of this great national debt.
Supporters of high military expenditure in America argue that using raw dollars is an unfair measure but instead, it should be per capita or as percentage of Gross Domestic Product. With the change in presidency from George Bush to Barack Obama in 2008, the United States had indicated that it would cut high-tech weapons that are unnecessary or wasteful and spend more on troops and reform contracting practices instead. Oppositions against this measure argue that cutting these weapons will result in job loss and weaken national security. The counterargument states that discontinuing weapons systems will cause job loss in the short term, but unnecessary weapons manufacturing should not be considered a jobs program.
With the Republican primaries coming up in the early months of 2012, GOP candidates have begun to state their opinions on defense spending in the United States. Texas Gov. Rick Perry believes foreign spending needs to be examined and that the U.S. should consider defunding the United Nations. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney both believe defense spending should be thoroughly considered while Romney states the foolishness of borrowing money from China to give to foreign nations. Rep. Ron Paul, on the other hand, gives more specific opinions on
The United States ranks first in the world for our excessive military spending and is responsible for 43% of the global distribution of military expenditure. China comes in a not-so-close second holding responsibility for 7.3% of global distribution of military expenditure. Military spending in the U.S. increased throughout the War on Terror and the Afghanistan and Iraq invasions. In recent years, however, military spending has begun to slow down due to war reductions. With effects of the global financial crisis, our military budget will continue to be pressured to decrease in order to bring ourselves out of this great national debt.
Supporters of high military expenditure in America argue that using raw dollars is an unfair measure but instead, it should be per capita or as percentage of Gross Domestic Product. With the change in presidency from George Bush to Barack Obama in 2008, the United States had indicated that it would cut high-tech weapons that are unnecessary or wasteful and spend more on troops and reform contracting practices instead. Oppositions against this measure argue that cutting these weapons will result in job loss and weaken national security. The counterargument states that discontinuing weapons systems will cause job loss in the short term, but unnecessary weapons manufacturing should not be considered a jobs program.
With the Republican primaries coming up in the early months of 2012, GOP candidates have begun to state their opinions on defense spending in the United States. Texas Gov. Rick Perry believes foreign spending needs to be examined and that the U.S. should consider defunding the United Nations. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney both believe defense spending should be thoroughly considered while Romney states the foolishness of borrowing money from China to give to foreign nations. Rep. Ron Paul, on the other hand, gives more specific opinions on
Cited: Bolton, Derek. "Too Many Overseas Bases | FPIF." Foreign Policy In Focus | International Affairs, Peace, Justice, and Environment. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. . "GOP Candidates Spar Over Defense Spending - Abilene News Story - KTXS Abilene." Abilene News, Abilene Texas News, Weather and Sports | KTXS.com. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. . "U.S. Military Spending Is Out Of Control: 12 Facts That Show That We Cannot Afford To Be The Police Of The World." The American Dream. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. . "World Military Spending — Global Issues." Global Issues : Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All — Global Issues. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .