budget
Missile Defense Program Wasteful and Unnecessary
The sheer size of this year’s military budget defies comprehension, with almost half a trillion dollars going to Pentagon programs. But more money does not equal more security — as "missile defense," the most expensive program of all, demonstrates so well.
A Unified Security Budget for the United States, 2007
As it is portrayed in the Bush administration’s new National Security Strategy doctrine, our military is a co-equal partner with our diplomatic corps, our development agency and our homeland security department. The text speaks of pursuing national security by championing aspirations for human dignity, strengthening alliances, defusing regional conflicts, and expanding development. In the section on “key national security institutions,” the Department of Defense (DOD) is third on the list.
Not terrorism–China drives up U.S. military spending
Ostensibly, the growing threat of international terrorism is responsible for the Bush administration’s proposed 2007 military budget, of $439 billion: a 7-percent increase from last year’s record tally. Higher spending, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has indicated, would ensure U.S. success “in the long war against terrorist extremism.”