Introduction
I quote President Eisenhower:
Evidence of the workings of the military-industrial complex (MIC) is presented below.
Always at War
Measured by the years of engagement, the US is the most warlike nation in the world. In the 81 years since the start of WW11, the US has been at war in all but 30. And that does not include the Cold War (1947-1991) as an “actual" war. While there is significant agreement among scholars that WWII and the Gulf War made sense for the US, the jury is most definitely out on the others.
Table 1. - US Major Wars
But since the Vietnam War and the end of the draft, the American public has left decisions on when to go to war and for how long to US Presidents. In retrospect, that appears to have had disastrous consequences. As examples:
Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. And removing him created a vacuum that was filled by terrorists and Iran. The vacuum was created because the US did not bother to have a post war game plan for Iraq. Instead, they disbanded the Army and they became unemployed workers with guns.
The US invaded Afghanistan, allegedly to get Bin Laden. But the US ended up getting into a protracted ground war that continues to this day. And Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan.
Pressure from the MIC is part of the reason for why disastrous consequences occurred.
Wars are very good for the MIC because they require the US to buy armaments. And to that end MIC makes sure the US Congress is on board. Open Secrets reports that between 2007 and 2019, MIC spent $1.7 billion lobbying Congress.
The “felt" burden of recent wars is lessened because of how prosperous the country has been. As Table 2 indicates, the military budget share of US GDP has fallen dramatically since the end of WWII. However, the 2020 military budget is nevertheless huge - $718 billion. And the Congressional Budget Office projects will grow in real terms to $776 billion by 2034.
Table 2. - The US Military Budget Share of GDP
To give readers a sense of what this includes, I offer a few quotes (with my commentary) from the actual budget proposal.
STRENGTHEN ALLIANCES AND ATTRACT NEW PARTNERS
We are strengthening our alliances and attracting new partners to generate decisive and sustained military advantages. Swift progress in this area is allowing for complementary capabilities that assist in prioritizing and balancing DoD capability investments.
Indo-Pacific: the Department is enhancing cooperation with allies such as Australia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea through ongoing engagements, their procurement of high-end U.S. platforms, and working with each to build missile defense systems that are increasingly interoperable with U.S. capabilities. New agreements such as the 2018 Communications, Compatibility, and Security Agreement with India and engagements such as the historic 2018 U.S. aircraft carrier visit to Vietnam along with more than 200 bilateral activities annually with Indonesia are expanding regional partnerships.
Oh? How does North Korea fit into all of this?
Europe: The U.S. commitment to NATO remains ironclad. The U.S. continues to work with NATO nations to improve burden sharing to meet our common security commitments. Our NATO Allies have increased their defense spending by $41 billion under the Trump administration. That is a nine percent increase from 2016 to 2018, the largest in a quarter century. By 2020, our NATO allies are projected to increase defense spending by approximately $100 billion in total. We are moving forward on our pursuit of the “four 30s" by 2020: from within the overall force pool, Allies will offer an additional 30 mechanized battalions, 30 air squadrons, and 30 combat vessels ready to use within 30 days or less.
Our commitment to NATO remains ironclad? That certainly not what is suggested in reports on the just completed NATO meetings in London.
Iraq and Syria: The U.S., working with our allies and partners, has liberated ISIS controlled territory while reducing the burden on U.S. forces.
Are our allies/partners the Kurds or the Turks?
Afghanistan: Continue to increase the capability and lethality of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces with the goal of achieving a lasting political reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Nonsense. How are going to achieve a lasting political reconciliation when you are trying negotiate a peace deal only with the Taliban, ignoring the legitimate government of Afghanistan. These negotiations are nothing more than an ill-considered ruse to get out of Afghanistan.
Growing Partners’ Defense Capabilities: In the last three years, foreign military sales have increased 62%. UAE and Qatar made a combined $18 billion investment in defensive missile systems, while Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are upgrading their existing Patriot missile systems.
Saudi Arabia is our partner?
The Army’s FY 2020 Budget is a strategy-based, threat-informed, requirements-driven request, aimed at building readiness to train and fight as a member of the Joint and Multi-National team.
The budget allows the Army to modernize doctrine, equipment, and formations, ensuring the future Army can compete against great power competitors, such as China and Russia.
I am glad to hear the proposal is “strategy-based, threat-informed, requirements-driven…."
The Navy Department continues to support a strong Shipbuilding program, which is fundamental to the Navy and the Nation and provides the capable capacity needed for the future fight. Ship construction includes 55 battle force ships and 10 large unmanned surface vessels across the FYDP. The 12 battle force ships funded in FY 2020 include the CVN 81 Ford-class carrier, 3 Virginia class submarines, 3 Arleigh Burke class destroyers, 2 John Lewis-class fleet oilers, 1 small surface combatant, and 2 T-ATS. There are also 2 large unmanned surface vessels in FY 2020, which brings the total to 14. The aircraft procurement of 619 aircraft across the FYDP supported in the FY 2020 budget will provide sustainability to the fleet. Aircraft quantity increases from 134 to 148 in FY 2020. You can do a lot with a $718 billion budget. Along with some high-end aircraft, the Department’s plan to purchase relatively low-cost aircraft, and this change in mix drives a budget decrease. The weapons procurement plan is balanced to maximize lethality.
What does “balanced to maximize lethality" actually mean?
In alignment with the National Defense Strategy, the Air Force budget prioritizes long-term competition and delivers a more lethal and ready Air Force through smarter and faster acquisition practices and a laser focus on readiness improvements for Multi-Domain Operations. To counter the threats we face today, the Air Force must accelerate modernization, continue to advance our readiness posture and implement smart reforms.
More “lethal and ready than what? And I am glad we are working to “advance our readiness posture and implement smart reforms.
The Defense Department recently undertook a major audit. Key Audit Take Aways:
Auditors did not report any material weaknesses for civilian or military pay.
Auditors said they found no evidence of fraud.
Auditors said the Army, Navy, and Air Force could account for the existence and completeness of major military equipment.
WHAAT? Ask the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)
Back in 2013, I did. Here is what I found:
The SIGAR’s mission is “to provide independent and objective oversight of Afghanistan reconstruction projects and activities" by “conducting audits and investigations to:
1) Promote efficiency and effectiveness of reconstruction programs and
2) Detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
To accomplish these tasks, SIGAR has a $50 million annual budget and 203 employees. It submits quarterly reports to Congress: its most recent quarterly report had 840 footnotes.
According to SIGAR, the $103.17 billion spent for relief and reconstruction in Afghanistan since FY 2002 has been allocated as follows:
$58.84 billion for security;
$25.96 billion for governance and development:
$7.55 billion for counternarcotics efforts:
$2.78 billion for humanitarian aid, and
$8.05 billion for civilian operations.
Have These Monies Been Spent Effectively?
No. Corruption is rampant and there are numerous examples of mismanagement on a grand scale.
SIGAR: “Massive military and aid spending overwhelmed the Afghan government’s ability to absorb it. This coupled with weak oversight, created opportunities for corruption." With such a rich corruption history, it is not surprising that a significant portion of US monies disappeared. And with opportunities so obvious, it should also not be surprising that members of the US military (Army, Air Force, Army National Guard, and their contractors) got involved. The most common activities involving Americans were bribes for contract awards and stealing fuel.
Since 2008, SIGAR’s suspension and debarment referrals total 433 - encompassing 230 individuals and 203 companies.
What To Do?
It is essential to focus attention on the aims of the MIC. Should we really be working to find a new war to engage in? What is the best way to get attention back on US wars? Bring back the draft. When wars might involve the children of influential Americans, they will take note. As became the case for Vietnam, the American wars will again be taken seriously rather than just three minute clips on the nightly news.
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