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Old 12-08-2022, 09:58 AM
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Angry There Is No Good Reason for a Defense Budget This Large

There Is No Good Reason for a Defense Budget This Large
By: Fred Japlan - Slate News - 12-08-22
Re: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/...no-reason.html

NOTE: And yet, no one is even talking about the additional $45 billion.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaking to reporters Monday. Congress was working to pass the annual defense spending bill.

It is remarkable that both houses of Congress are about to pass a military spending bill totaling $847 billion—piling $45 billion on top of President Joe Biden’s already-hefty budget request—and almost no major media outlets have so much as raised an eyebrow at the amount. The House and Senate armed services committees have sent the bill to the full floors with almost no dissent.

Some news agencies have reported on other newsworthy aspects of the bill: that it lifts the mandate on servicemen and women to get COVID vaccines, or that sexual-assault cases within the military will now be investigated by prosecutors, not commanders. But the fact that this will be $80 billion (10 percent) larger than last year’s defense budget—or that, in real terms (i.e., adjusting for inflation over the years), it will be the largest U.S. military budget since World War II (see Table 6.1 here)—seems to warrant barely a shrug.

You might think that the members of the House and Senate armed services committees have topped Biden’s budget in order to adjust for inflation or to restock our arsenal with weapons that we’ve provided to Ukraine. But you would be wrong. Monica Montgomery, policy analyst for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, notes that only “a small fraction” of the money in this budget compensates for inflation or for the weapons sent to fight the Russians in Ukraine.

So where will those additional billions go? Almost all of the extra money is simply to buy more of the usual stuff—more expensive combat planes, warships, missiles, etc. More specifically, it’s meant to pay for what the service chiefs call “unfunded priorities.” At the start of each year, the chiefs give their civilian masters in the Pentagon and the White House a wish list—everything that they want from here to the moon. It is understood that the civilians will set limits on the size of the budget and, within those limits, trim the items that don’t make the grade. In recent years, the chiefs have started sending the list of rejects to the congressional armed services committees, as a sort of appeal. Usually, the list is ignored, recognized properly as a gimmick. Not this time: The committees have rubber-stamped nearly every single item on the list.

So, to the extent inflation will raise the cost of these items, it will have to be covered in an emergency supplemental request next year. To the extent the chiefs want to refill the stockpiles of weapons sent to Ukraine, that too will require a supplemental. And of course, Congress will accept those add-ons as well (as, in those cases, it probably should). In other words, by the time the 2023 budget year is over, the total military budget will total well over $847 billion—and the media will probably shrug at that as well.

It should be noted that this budget has not even been calibrated to meet new threats or adjust to new situations. No, it’s the same old budget, much of which is structured along Cold War lines—with thicker padding. It may well be that the U.S. needs more ships and aircraft, given Beijing’s aggressive actions in the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea. (Congress has raised the amount allotted to shipbuilding from $27.9 billion to $32.6 billion—and from Navy and Air Force planes from $35.3 billion to 40.6 billion.) But nobody has analyzed how much is needed to meet new threats or fill gaps in our defense. Nobody in government—at least nobody who makes decisions on budgets—has studied the lessons of the Ukraine war. (The Royal United Services Institute has published a very sophisticated study, which U.S. officials and lawmakers should read right now.) Nobody has even studied whether we have the right mix of ships and planes. (Some private analysts believe that China’s real threat—a swarm of anti-ship missiles to keep us far away from its territory—might be better met by revamping our forces, shifting to a larger number of smaller ships. This is an idea that the U.S. Navy—dominated by aircraft carrier officers—resolutely rejects.) Instead of any strategic thinking, it’s just more, more, more of what we already have.

There is a hefty increase in some new stuff as well—an extra $8.8 billion on top of the $130.1 billion that Biden requested for research and development, much of it related to AI and cyber warfare. But precisely what that topping pays for, and why, isn’t laid out, at least not in the public documents.

There was a time, not so long ago, when congressional staffers scrutinized every line item of the defense budget, studying whether the official rationales were in alignment with the sum of money requested. That doesn’t happen anymore. The world is a dangerous place; our main rivalries, with China and Russia, are more intense. So Congress gives the military chiefs whatever they ask for. The budget is treated as a symbol of our strength and will—make it larger, and that means we’re stronger and more determined. But “throwing money” at a problem doesn’t necessarily solve it. The defense hawks say that about domestic issues; they don’t consider that it applies to defense issues too.
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Personal note:

As we can all see insecurity at the Top Level's of Government are playing their cards on the wrong
issues. Take that amount and put into our Nation's Electric Grid and get it fixed.

Our defense is in good shape unless you're feeling insecure about China and North Korea. You used
to work through these issues but of late it seems you've become insecure all of a sudden.

How much more weapons do we need at this time? Take that money and put where it will do the
best and that's fixing our entire contries power grid.
-
Why you are ducking from that as being a priority is beyond me! You high roller's in government
have got to get off your ass's and fix this grid before you have some real issues.
-
It's a damn shame you got us into these circumstances and of course the citizen's will foot the
bill by raising taxes and banking systems.
-
Your duty is to your Countries People not the worlds problems. I'm tired of the Big Brother issues
to the world. We've got to improve our internal issues before bailing out these other countries.
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I've yet to see the day where other countries are pooring money into our Country to keep us afloat!
-
We native's of America must come first and to hell with the rest of world until we've first taken
care of our business here in the good old US of A!
-
We are way too Top Heavy with these socalled Dignataries of little value. It's us - the little guys
(US) would end up paying for your wants and wishes. But let's put it this way - fix you're people
wants and wishes first to hell with the other Nations. I'm tired of footing the bill and sacraficing
our people for countries that won't fight back without our men and our weapons. This is getting
really old! And its not cost effective nor do we gain anything from it - but loss of life and money
in returen.
-
America first and then maybe we will help the others but we've got our own problems and our
folks need this taken care of before we consider waring in other Nations.
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Our infrastructure is trash and for decades you've neglected doing anything about it - unless it
was military first the people well lets say 9th out of 10 on the scale. That's bullshit!
You know it and we know it!
-
American 1st if you can't do it we get someone else and soforth until our People are covered
and secure - rather then freezing or having no power to our homes.
-
Gas prices - starting pumping our oil once more. If you have to go back fracking and we will
live with the reprocutions as were told to us when you stopped. Find out oil suppliers.
JUST DO SOMETHING! That shows a positive result!
-
We are not the Big Brother of the World. Quite jacking up the prices food shortage's in this
country is sad and the prices going up is really bad.
-
Get back to what made us great before you destroy everything we once had. Acutally
government is the problem - NOT THE PEOPLE!
-
UNCLE SAM YOU ARE THE PROBLEM - America 1st is a must!!
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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