Usa and the Arms Industry
Comp 2000: Advanced College Writing
23 June 2011
The United States of America and the Arms Industry:
How the United States of America takes part in the arms industry in different ways, both nationally and internationally.
With the national debt above $14 trillion, how much of that is actually spent on our nation’s defense and war efforts? According to national debt clock the United States is using approximately 699 1/2 billion dollars (United States National Debt Clock) to militarily defend itself. As we take a front row seat in different and sometimes contradictory ways, within the arms industry, both nationally and internationally. There are many ways our country takes part in the worldwide industry of arms dealing. For the purpose of this paper we will take a look at the more basic and common ways in which this happens. Ever since we declared our independence from the British in 1776 the general concept seems to have been, he who carries the big stick makes the rules, a concept that has been hard to argue with, especially with all the statistical numbers that seem to support this theory. First, let’s take a look at the United States defense budget and how it compares to the rest of the world. How much do we truly set aside for defense? Where do we rank in the world as far as spending? What percentage of the world wide spending pie do we make up? Second, we look at the actual budget to get an idea of where the money is going. How the defense budget is is broken down, who is spending all of that money, and what are they actually paying for or buying with it? Finally, we take a look at the U.S.’ so called friends, our allies. How is it we help our friends carry big sticks as well, as long as the price is right. What the U.S. exports worldwide, what they are exporting and probably more importantly, who they exporting to, and how is it helping Americans keep jobs. So, how much does it actually cost the U.S. just to ensure that it has the biggest
23 June 2011
The United States of America and the Arms Industry:
How the United States of America takes part in the arms industry in different ways, both nationally and internationally.
With the national debt above $14 trillion, how much of that is actually spent on our nation’s defense and war efforts? According to national debt clock the United States is using approximately 699 1/2 billion dollars (United States National Debt Clock) to militarily defend itself. As we take a front row seat in different and sometimes contradictory ways, within the arms industry, both nationally and internationally. There are many ways our country takes part in the worldwide industry of arms dealing. For the purpose of this paper we will take a look at the more basic and common ways in which this happens. Ever since we declared our independence from the British in 1776 the general concept seems to have been, he who carries the big stick makes the rules, a concept that has been hard to argue with, especially with all the statistical numbers that seem to support this theory. First, let’s take a look at the United States defense budget and how it compares to the rest of the world. How much do we truly set aside for defense? Where do we rank in the world as far as spending? What percentage of the world wide spending pie do we make up? Second, we look at the actual budget to get an idea of where the money is going. How the defense budget is is broken down, who is spending all of that money, and what are they actually paying for or buying with it? Finally, we take a look at the U.S.’ so called friends, our allies. How is it we help our friends carry big sticks as well, as long as the price is right. What the U.S. exports worldwide, what they are exporting and probably more importantly, who they exporting to, and how is it helping Americans keep jobs. So, how much does it actually cost the U.S. just to ensure that it has the biggest