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HOW MUCH IS THAT F-15 IN THE WINDOW? - (U.S. military outspends next 13 nations combined)
NCPA.ORG ^ | MAY 12, 2005 | CHARLES PENA

Posted on 05/13/2005 6:42:23 PM PDT by CHARLITE

The national defense budget could be cut by nearly a quarter and still leave the United States military in shape to take on all likely threats and fulfill its role in the war on terrorism, says Charles Pena, director of defense policy studies at the Cato Institute.

Furthermore, the United States is outspending the rest of the world at an astounding rate. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), in 2003:

Total U.S. defense expenditures were $404.9 billion, an amount exceeding the combined defense expenditures of the next 13 countries and more than double the combined defense spending of the remaining 158 countries in the world. The countries closest in defense spending to the United States were Russia at $65.2 billion and China at $55.9 billion. The United States outspent its NATO allies nearly two to one ($404.9 billion vs. $221.1 billion). The combined defense spending of the remaining “axis of evil” nations (North Korea and Iran) was about $8.5 billion, or 2 percent of U.S. defense expenditures. Although it is impossible to accurately predict future defense expenditures, Pena says the United States is on track to outspend the rest of the world combined sometime during the next 10 to 20 years.

Pena says there are no threats from nation-states that warrant the United States maintaining a large, forward-deployed military presence around the world. A better approach to maintaining U.S. security would be to eschew unnecessary interventions abroad and to reduce overseas Cold War-era military commitments.

Source: Charles Pena, “The War on Terrorism Does Not Require a Burgeoning Defense Budget,” Cato Institute, Policy Analysis No. 539, March 28, 2005.

For text:
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa539.pdf

For more on Security/Defense: Arms Budget:

http://www.ncpa.org/iss/nat/


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 1020year; ahead; budget; cato; china; defensespending; expenditures; far; geopolitics; govwatch; headstart; military; russia; us
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1 posted on 05/13/2005 6:42:24 PM PDT by CHARLITE
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To: CHARLITE

The difference is between being able to handle all threats and being so scary we don't have to handle most threats at all.


2 posted on 05/13/2005 6:43:50 PM PDT by sharktrager (The masses will trade liberty for a more quiet life.)
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To: CHARLITE

We need to outspend the rest of the world combined. We have no real friends when the chips are down, other than Australia and Israel.


3 posted on 05/13/2005 6:44:22 PM PDT by thoughtomator ("One cannot say that a law is right simply because it is a law.")
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To: thoughtomator

The British as well....at least their military is very very friendly to the US, especially those who I worked with in Iraq and Qatar....


4 posted on 05/13/2005 6:45:44 PM PDT by MikefromOhio (I joined the EEEVVIILLLL Sam's Club on Friday, April 22nd, 2005.....)
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To: CHARLITE
It is not really a true comparison - for instance - the chinese classify many industries as "civilian" but whose main products and employees are the Red Army. Also, many non-military items are included in the DoD budget (like veterans payments and medical research)...
5 posted on 05/13/2005 6:46:52 PM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - They want to die for Islam, and we want to kill them.)
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To: CHARLITE
the United States is outspending the rest of the world at an astounding rate...
He says that like it's a bad thing.
6 posted on 05/13/2005 6:46:57 PM PDT by wolfpat (dum vivimus, vivamus)
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To: CHARLITE

What's Mr. Pena's cost/benefit analysis on preventing a nuke from going off in an American city?


7 posted on 05/13/2005 6:48:02 PM PDT by vbmoneyspender
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To: CHARLITE

Rank Country Military expenditures - dollar figure Date of Information
1 United States $ 370,700,000,000 March 2003
2 China $ 67,490,000,000 2003 est.
3 Japan $ 45,841,000,000 2004
4 France $ 45,238,100,000 2003
5 United Kingdom $ 42,836,500,000 2003
6 Germany $ 35,063,000,000 2003
7 Italy $ 28,182,800,000 2003
8 Saudi Arabia $ 18,000,000,000 2002
9 India $ 16,970,000,000 2004
10 Korea, South $ 16,180,000,000 2004
11 Turkey $ 12,155,000,000 2003
12 Brazil $ 11,000,000,000 2004
13 Spain $ 9,906,500,000 2003
14 Canada $ 9,801,700,000 2003
15 Netherlands $ 9,408,000,000 2004
16 Israel $ 9,110,000,000 FY03
17 Taiwan $ 7,574,000,000 2003
18 Mexico $ 6,043,000,000 2004
19 Greece $ 5,890,000,000 2004
20 Sweden $ 5,729,000,000 2004


8 posted on 05/13/2005 6:48:16 PM PDT by Zeppelin (Keep on FReepin' on.....)
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To: MikeinIraq

Thank you for your service.


9 posted on 05/13/2005 6:48:35 PM PDT by DLfromthedesert (Texas Cowboy...you da man!!)
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To: thoughtomator

I'd add poland in there too, although there military still needs to be built up quite a bit. But their special forces are top notch.


10 posted on 05/13/2005 6:48:51 PM PDT by flashbunny
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To: CHARLITE

we have a high tech military that has things like intelligence and other stuff of that nature included in the defense budget. I would love to see what the Chinese numbers would be if they combined everything...

their military is larger and much more inefficient than ours. That generally does not lead to spending less, but more....


11 posted on 05/13/2005 6:49:08 PM PDT by MikefromOhio (I joined the EEEVVIILLLL Sam's Club on Friday, April 22nd, 2005.....)
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To: DLfromthedesert

thank you, but I was just a contractor over there...

I worked with heroes and some very very brave people...


12 posted on 05/13/2005 6:49:45 PM PDT by MikefromOhio (I joined the EEEVVIILLLL Sam's Club on Friday, April 22nd, 2005.....)
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To: Zeppelin

That list is amazing to me, a young'in in the 80's. Where's the Soviet Union? Heh.. Just amazing.


13 posted on 05/13/2005 6:51:01 PM PDT by LAURENTIJ
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To: CHARLITE

Maybe that's because we have the burden of defending the entire dang world.


14 posted on 05/13/2005 6:51:39 PM PDT by Brilliant
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To: MikeinIraq

Hmmm; just a contractor, so we know you were in no danger, right?

Thank you for your courage. We need people like you over there, too, and a lot of people working there have also sacrificed their lives.


15 posted on 05/13/2005 6:52:29 PM PDT by DLfromthedesert (Texas Cowboy...you da man!!)
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To: CHARLITE; Travis McGee; Squantos; joanie-f
The difference between our miltary budget and that of most of our adversdaries (like Red China) is this...we spend a LOT more, a considerable percentage of the whole, on much better housing, health benefits, and pay for our soldiers than those other nations bother themselves with. We do the same for our contractors in terms of pay.

Taking that into consideration would likely cut down the difference in spending on pure weapons systems significantly, although there is no doubt we would still lead the pack considerably.

Just something to consider.

As an example, in terms of naval hardware (major combatant ships), over the last ten years the Red Chinese have produced 84 major new combatants in 14 new modern classes while we have produced 55 major new combatants in 6 new modern classes of ships.

Now I believe our 55 are more than a match for their 84...but the point is that over time, that gap will continue to reduce to the point where the outcome is less certain (particularly in litoral areas close to their shores) if we are not vigilant.

16 posted on 05/13/2005 6:52:40 PM PDT by Jeff Head
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To: Zeppelin

Sweden spends $5.7 billion on defense? I wonder what they spend it on?


17 posted on 05/13/2005 6:52:51 PM PDT by Zack Nguyen
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To: 2banana
the chinese classify many industries as "civilian" but whose main products and employees are the Red Army.

Actually there are many factories producing civilian products run by the People's Liberation Army; many Chinese generals are devoid of military ability and are essentially corrupt gangsters/industrial managers.

18 posted on 05/13/2005 6:53:29 PM PDT by Strategerist
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To: CHARLITE
"HOW MUCH IS THAT F-15 IN THE WINDOW? - (U.S. military outspends next 13 nations combined)" (but could whoop your a** any day of the week.)
19 posted on 05/13/2005 6:53:44 PM PDT by Bones75
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To: Jeff Head
produced 84 major new combatants in 14 new modern classes

Please list these, I suspect you're including tiny patrol craft.

20 posted on 05/13/2005 6:54:16 PM PDT by Strategerist
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