The Military We Need The Defense Requirements of the Bush Doctrine By Thomas Donnelly Posted: Wednesday, April 27, 2005 One of the largest chunks—if not the single largest—of these additional defense costs is devoted to paying the salaries and benefits of Army National Guard personnel and reservists called to active duty... The most likely explanation is narrowly political: under government budget rules, supplemental appropriations do not count when calculating the federal deficit. With annual deficits at about $500 billion, the cry for governmental fiscal discipline has returned and with it an expectation that the Pentagon should contribute its “fair share”...