Because we have to defend ourselves? How can we possibly defend ourselves if we cut our defense budget? You liberal wacko!
Gee, I don’t know. How do countries like Switzerland or Finland defend themselves with military expenditures about 1/100th and 1/200th that of the United States? Oh, yeah! They don’t mess with other countries. So I guess the real question is how can we defend ourselves and still be able to screw with other countries if we do not have a colossal military “defense” budget.
Let’s do a little mental experiment using the chart below.
This shows the top three military spenders in the world as well as the average military expenditures of the Rest of the World (actually, the next 25 military spenders after to top three, so Switzerland and Finland are not included).
This graph depicts the absolutely offensive use of resources used by the United States on our military.
Now here’s the thought experiment. Let’s just say the United States wanted to attack someone. Would it be China or Russia?
Of course not. Well, why not? We spend so much more than they do. We have half of the aircraft carriers in the world to cap the most expansive navy in history. Our technological superiority is unmatched. Why not attack Russia or China?
Because China and Russia are fully capable of defending themselves even against the huge expenditures of the United States.
The next highest spender is China. They have almost twice the number of active troops than the United States (not including reserves. If reserves are included Russia’s army dwarfs every other nation including the United States). Despite having less than half the navy as the US it still has a comparable air force (by the numbers: I’m not familiar with their tactical or technological advancement). China is safe from everyone, including the United States, yet they spend only about 22% as much on their military.
Is it not reasonable to assume that the United States would have an adequate “defense” even if we slash our military budget by 80% or even 90%. England spends about 10% as much on defense as the United States, and yet is no more vulnerable to attack.
Perhaps the reality is that American politicians are not interested in “defense.” Such military expenditures are offensive by design. The function of the American military establishment is the capacity to bully others, not to defend the nation from threats against our sovereignty.
The Mad Sociologist Blog 