The Military Complex vs Society's Real Needs
In 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower cautioned of the dangers of the military-industrial complex. "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex,"
We didn’t listen to one of the only modernday Presidents that had actually fought in a war. Today’s military complex would most likely frighten DDE.
At the time of Eisenhower’s speech the defense budget we $48 billion, if it had simply followed along with inflation it would be $455 billion today, and yet, if the newest budget is approved the US Military budget will be $773 billion.
And while I find it appalling that Biden, knowing how many other things our country faces, is increasing the budget, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) immediately declared that Biden's budget falls "woefully short" on defense spending.
William Hartung, Senior Research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft has said of Biden’s budget proposal “Current spending is at one of the highest levels since World War II. The $778 billion budget for national defense authorized by Congress in 2021 is substantially more in real terms than the U.S. spent annually at the peak of the Korean and Vietnam wars.”
Apparently, this is all to keep up with China. According to budget documents, the National Defense Strategy calls China the top “pacing challenge” for the US military and Russia as “an acute threat”.
This is a problem in Washington that has deep roots. "Pentagon officials and senior military leaders seeking lucrative post-government jobs" in the defense industry. It risks confusing "what is in the best financial interests of defense contractors—excessively large Pentagon budgets, endless wars, and overpriced weapon systems—with what is in the best interest of military effectiveness and protecting citizens."
This revolving door has given us boondoggles like the F-35 fighter jet the cost of which is about $110 to $135 million atop the millions more to operate and maintain. Each hour of flying an F-35 costs $44,000. All this for planes that the US Government Accountability Office found not up to their task. Stating that the "full mission capable rate—the percentage of time during which the aircraft can perform all of its tasked missions" was just 39%.
Bernie Sanders is correct when he says that the US spends more on national security than "the next 11 countries combined." "We do not need a massive increase in the defense budget."
Sadly Biden is only asking Congress for only $44.9 billion in total funding to fight our climate emergency, a far larger threat to our safety than China or Russia.
Or as Robert Weissman, president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen put it so adequately "The greatest threats to Americans in the 21st century are not external adversaries, but rather skyrocketing wealth inequality, impending climate chaos, public health crises, and corporate greed," "The broken Washington consensus that sky-high Pentagon spending will somehow keep Americans safe works to prop up the military-industrial complex while siphoning resources away from real solutions to these problems and true, urgent human needs."