The US Defence Budget is now greater than that of the next 25 countries put together!

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by connorkimbro
The amount of the defense budget really doesn't matter for ****. What percent the defense budget is of the overall GDP is what OUGHT to be compared.

And does anyone know what kind of results you get from that calculation? I'll give ya a hint, the US is nowhere NEAR the top.

That's already been discussed. For the record, IMO, the amount of the defense budget is FAR MORE important than what it is as a percentage of GDP. The latter only measures how well a country can (presumably) afford the level of spending it has. In terms of calculating military strength in absolute or relative terms, it is totally meaningless.

Again, it comes down to how much do you ultimately need. Dan and CG argue that there are ulterior motives behind the US expenditure, others may not. It still doesn't change the fact that Saudi Arabia at 50% of GDP (even though it's really 14.5%) still couldn't hold a candle to the US at 1% (even though it's really 3-4%)

[connorkimbro]

The above post is why people should read threads before they post.

Hmm, yes, you're right, sorry.

It still doesn't change the fact that Saudi Arabia at 50% of GDP (even though it's really 14.5%) still couldn't hold a candle to the US at 1% (even though it's really 3-4%)

Ok. I thought the crux of the argument was something else entirely, so, nevermind. Thanks for filling me in on what i should have read in the first place, though.

[MOBIUS]

Well excessive is relative after all...

I mean given some of the % GDP levels mentioned by Kontiki, the US at 4% could be deemed as very low - though many of the higher rates are by non democratic countries and Russia's is skewed because they have the security forces of the largest country to maintain with a completely tanked economy!

But it is about perceived threat - which these days is almost entirely unconventional. Does the US need such a large conventional force to tackle terrorism? I don't think so...

Personally I think the US military is still stuck in the past in a conventional sense - there just are no conventional armies around that could even hold a candle to even a fraction of the US'. Yet the US maintains more aircraft carriers than the rest of the World many times over. Yet they still try to push conventional Dinosaurs through the defence budget like that moronic plan to develop and deploy those gigantic SP guns earlier this year that we talked about! Well at least they saw the sense in that one eh?

Still, it is their money and 4% of GDP isn't that much, and while they do that we can get on with spending our money on important stuff such as a decent health or education system instead...

Just as long as they don't think they own the place...

[DanS]

MOBIUS, you're such an American apologist.

[joseph1944]

Originally posted by Kontiki

FISCAL YEAR 2002 — BUDGET AUTHORITY
(Dollars in Billions)
Military Personnel $82.3
Operations and Maintenance $125.7
Procurement $61.6
Research and Development $47.4
Military Construction $5.9
Family Housing $4.1
Other $1.9

In other words, the US is spending approximately 57% on ops, maintenance and procurement. That's over $187 billion.

One Submarine today cost 1 billion, 1 Aircraft Carrier cost between 2 and 3 billion, so if you just build one Carrier and Sub., you have just spent 4 billion of the 61.6 for the year.
It has been reported that during the Clinton years we did not buy any new Planes, Ships, Tanks etc. The items that were produces during these year was authorized in prior years before Clinton.

[MOBIUS]

Originally posted by DanS
MOBIUS, you're such an American apologist.

What's it to be? One minute I'm Anti American and the next I'm an American Apologist...

People are always leaping to conclusions...

[Lonestar]

Lonestar would like to point out that he is a member of an all-volunteer Navy, and as such the USN has to do a lot more to keep us worker bees happy.

For instance, I suspect our base salary, Health Care, dental, housing allowance, "BAS"(food), "immient danger pay", "Sea pay", "Relective re-enlistment bonus", Morale Welfare and Recreation is all wwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaayyyyyy higher than the case nations with conscription armies fork out.

Oh yeah. Forgot 100% payed College tuition.

And you wonder why the American defense budget is so large....

Which is not to say I wouldn't mind a pay raise.

[pg]

i wonder which country gets the most bang for their buck? isreal? our(usa) budget seemed bloated and inefficient given that spending has stayed roughly the same but they'e cut back quite a lot in the 90s i thought...

[Imran Siddiqui]

Personally I think the US military is still stuck in the past in a conventional sense - there just are no conventional armies around that could even hold a candle to even a fraction of the US'. Yet the US maintains more aircraft carriers than the rest of the World many times over.

Well what happens if we sit on our hands and say we're big enough. Suddenly someone else begins challenging our military lead (China, perhaps). Constant updating is needed to keep ahead by a relatively same margin (though the Chinese are rapidly catching up).

[Plan Austral]

Israels powerful army doesnt seem to be proportional to the defense budget, only 9 billions.

I bet they spend even more.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Kontiki
Here's the previous top 25 in percentage of GDP - the %ages are from 2000, so there won't be a perfect match:

How about percentage of the government budget. When past and future wars are factored in, we spend more than half our government budget on war.

[David Floyd]

Well, they also get billions in military aid from the US. My understanding is that we give them something like 3 billion in aid every year that they must spend on military procurements from US contractors. Could be wrong, just something I heard somewhere.

[DanS]

"When past and future wars are factored in, we spend more than half our government budget on war."

Don't know where you get that sound-bite, Che. Even if you only consider discretionary spending plus interest on the debt as the "government budget", you don't get there. This doesn't even consider Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and other "mandatory" spending in the mix.

[axi]

Hey, look who's NOT on the top 25 list!

Iraq $1.4
North Korea $1.3
Libya $1.2
Suria $0.8
Cuba $0.7
Yugoslavia $0.5

Do you still insist that these countries could be a threat to the US?

I wonder what Singapore does with $4.3BN, considering it's so tiny...

[The Mad Monk]

Suria?

What the hell is Suria?