On Feb. 26, USA Today ran a front-page article on our defense mission and spending. In the article, author Kim Hjelmgaard relayed some interesting facts:
• The United States currently has an annual defense budget of more than $730 billion. The official Chinese defense budget for 2020 was $178 billion.
• The United States has 11 aircraft carriers. China has two. Russia has one.
• The DOD reports that it has more than 220,000 military and civilian personal stationed at 800 bases in 150 countries. China has a single official overseas military base, in Djibouti.
What seems absolutely obvious is that the United States cannot continue to invest so heavily in defense spending in light of the significant needs we have on the home front.
An intelligent discussion about defense spending must include a thorough review of how we can reduce such spending over time. Think of it: if we could gradually reduce our defense spending to $400 billion, more than twice China’s defense budget in today’s dollars, it would throw off more than $300 billion every year that could be devoted to the urgent needs we have at home – without raising taxes!
Such a re-allocation of our assets must be done thoughtfully and gradually; but it can be done. If we don’t have the insight and leadership to move in that direction, we will face the very real risk that the inability to make substantial progress on our domestic issues will continue to undermine our standard of living, our health, our security, our faith in our country.
Terry Fralich
Saco
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