Should Defense Spending Be Decreased

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

Anti-missile defense systems could be eliminated or scaled back, fewer troops would need to be kept on alert, and antiquated hardware could be destroyed and need not be replaced. The Center for Defense Information, a Washington D.C. think tank, points out that the US was able to defeat Iraq in 1991 using only 17 percent of active and reserve personnel and approximately one-third of its major combat units, concluding that the US could cut the military budget and still maintain a strong military position.
It has been noted in the past how much money is wasted by the Defense Department. Defense contractors tend to oversell the merits of their products while underestimating production costs. Cost overruns are normal. One can only hope that overseers have learned from the mistakes of the past and that we will never again pay $435 for hammers and $640 for toilet seats.
It might be wise to review some effects on military preparedness as well as on the economy in previous post - war years. ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

the year after the Korean war (2.2 percent of Gross National Product) may have contributed to a short recession in 1954. However, defense cuts were not offset with increases in non-defense public spending at the time, which might have eased the economic situation.
As a result of that dismal account of military readiness in 1981, Reagan set about restoring US military strength by greatly increasing Defense Department spending during his administration. The results were impressive; strategic forces were modernized, defenses were rebuilt, and the quality of life of career personnel was improved. Perle believes there was an additional benefit: "It was instrumental in persuading the new ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: