The Four Components Of Us Military Spending
If you really want to get a handle on what the United States spends on defense, you need to look at four components.
First is the $636 billion base budget for the Department of Defense. Second is $69 billion in overseas contingency operations for DoD to fight the Islamic State group. These two, added together, total the $705 billion budgeted by the DoD.
Third is the total of other agencies that protect our nation. These expenses are $228 billion. They include the Department of Veterans Affairs . Funding for the VA has been increased by $20 billion over 2018 levels. That’s to fund the VA MISSION Act to the VA’s health care system. The other agencies are: Homeland Security , the State Department , the National Nuclear Security Administration in the Department of Energy , and the FBI and Cybersecurity in the Department of Justice .
Trump Makes It Easier For Police To Get Military Equipment
The U.S. forces that supported Iraqi troops during the operation to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State this year used it.
And it could be in a police department near you.
It is a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle, known as a MRAP, and they each weigh 18 tons and are designed to withstand bombs, bullets, mines and grenades. They’ve been used in Iraq, in Afghanistan and in America, in cities such as Miami Beach, Florida, and Fairbanks, Alaska.
These vehicles and thousands of other pieces of military surplus equipment have been shipped free to law enforcement agencies across the country after President Donald Trump, in an executive order in August, removed Obama-era reforms that had banned local police from receiving some equipment and placed tight restrictions on others.
Obama acted after the confrontation between police and protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 following the shooting of an unarmed black man. The striking images on social media of military equipment being used by police for crowd control drew national attention to the military equipment surplus program.
After Obama tightened the program in 2015, for instance, police departments seeking MRAPs from the Defense Department had to submit a detailed justification for why they were needed and how officers would be trained to use them.
“There is no accountability in place,” said Ed Chung, a former Justice Department official who led the group that advised Obama on the issue.
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Commonly bandied about is the particularly inaccurate sum of over $80 billion in U.S. weapons now said to be in the Talibans hands. Former President Donald Trump claimed in a speech last month that the U.S. had left $83 billion worth of equipment behind, while an infographic produced by the British newspapers The Times and The Sunday Times illustrating this total has been making the rounds. Retweeted by the likes of Donald Trump Jr., the tally reports that the Taliban captured 22,000 Humvees and 174 aircraft.
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Budget Request For Fy2019
In February 2018, the Pentagon requested $686 billion for FY 2019.
The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act authorized Department of Defense appropriations for 2019 and established policies, but it did not contain the budget itself. On 26 July, this bill passed in the House of Representatives by 359-54. On 1 August, the US Senate passed it by 87-10. The bill was presented to President Trump two days later. He signed it on 13 August.
On 28 September 2018, Trump signed the Department of Defense appropriations bill. The approved 2019 Department of Defense discretionary budget is $686.1 billion. It has also been described as “$617 billion for the base budget and another $69 billion for war funding.”
In A Series Of Tweets The Us President Said That His Message Should ‘serve As A Warning’
The United States just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment. We are the biggest and by far the BEST in the World! If Iran attacks an American Base, or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way…and without hesitation! Donald J. Trump
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Colossal Rebuilding Of The Military
Rebuilt the military and created the Sixth Branch, the United States Space Force
- Completely rebuilt the United States military with over $2.2 trillion in defense spending, including $738 billion for 2020
- Secured three pay raises for our service members and their families, including the largest raise in a decade
- Established the Space Force, the first new branch of the United States Armed Forces since 1947
- Modernized and recapitalized our nuclear forces and missile defenses to ensure they continue to serve as a strong deterrent
- Upgraded our cyber defenses by elevating the Cyber Command into a major warfighting command and reducing burdensome procedural restrictions on cyber operations
- Vetoed the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act, which failed to protect our national security, disrespected the history of our veterans and military, and contradicted our efforts to put America first
Defeated terrorists, held leaders accountable for malign actions, and bolstered peace around the world
Addressed gaps in Americans defense-industrial base, providing much-needed updates to improve the safety of our country
Us Conflict With Iran: What You Need To Read
Heres what you need to know to understand what this moment means in U.S.-Iran relations.
What happened: President Trump ordered a drone strike near the Baghdad airport, killing Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Irans most powerful military commander and leader of its special-operations forces abroad.
Who was Soleimani: As the leader of the Revolutionary Guard Corps elite Quds Force, Soleimani was key in supporting and coordinating with Irans allies across the region, especially in Iraq. Soleimanis influence was imprinted on various Shiite militias that fought U.S. troops.
How we got here: Tensions had been escalating between Iran and the United States since Trump pulled out of an Obama-era nuclear deal, and they spiked shortly before the airstrike. The strikes that killed Soleimani were carried out after the death of a U.S. contractor in a rocket attack against a military base in Kirkuk, Iraq, that the United States blamed on Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia.
What happens next: Iran responded to Soleimanis death by launching missile strikes at two bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq. No casualties were reported. In an address to the nation, Trump announced that new sanctions will be imposed on Tehran.
Ask a question: What do you want to know about the strike and its aftermath? Submit a question or read previous Q& As with Post reporters.
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An American Bomber Visited Malaysia A Bizarre Mix Of Local Jets Rose To Meet It
Against that backdrop, the Trump Pentagon launched a multiphase process to rebuild the military. In 2017, it would increase spending on readiness. In 2018 it would sustain funding for readinesstraining, maintenance, etc.while filling holes in the military posture such as inadequate stocks of precision munitions. In 2019 it would begin making down payments on increased lethality to cope with the challenges posed by Russia and China, and in 2020 it would go full-bore on buying a new generation of weapons. Trumps team saw it would take years to return to a high state of readiness, and so thats where its plan began.
Investment in core warfighting systems. When President Trump took office, the U.S. military was suffering from decades of under-investment in new technology. The Air Forces fleet of bombers, fighters and tankers was the oldest it had ever been. The Armys helicopters and armored vehicles consisted largely of programs begun during the Reagan years . Some warfighting systems had grown so decrepit that the military services were proposing their retirement despite a lack of newer weapons with which to replace them.
Several major defense contractors contribute to my think tank. Some are also consulting clients.
Defying Congress Trump Sets $8 Billion
6 Min Read
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
The Trump administration informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales.
Members of Congress had been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months, angry about the huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.
Lawmakers and congressional aides warned earlier this week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding up weapons deals including the sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia, was considering using a loophole in arms control law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency.
President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove … There is no new emergency reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian crisis there, said Senator Chris Murphy.
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Why Was Military Spending Reduced During Obama Administration
Though it is certainly not accurate to say that the military did not receive any funding during the Obama administration, there was truly a reduction in spending. Two major factors resulted in reduced spending. First, congress placed restrictions on military spending in 2011 in an attempt to reduce the national deficit. And second, the Obama administration started to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Heres how The New York Times explained the impact of the congressional sequester on military spending:
In 2011, in response to a debt ceiling crisis, lawmakers reached a bipartisan agreement to reduce deficits by at least $2.1 trillion over the next decade. In addition to limits on domestic spending, limits were placed on the Pentagons base budget, but not its wartime spending.
Congress increased spending caps by $32 billion in 2013 and $40 billion in 2015, referred to by budget watchers as partial sequester relief. In February, the cap was blown off entirely, when Mr. Trump signed a budget deal that raised it by $165 billion over two years. Effectively, that ended the sequester without repealing the original law.
From 2012 to 2017, the Pentagons annual budget had decreased as a percent of the economy. But it still hovered around $600 billion a far cry from no money at all.
- 26 September 2020
Qiu, Linda. Trump Goes for Broke on Claim Military Received No Money Before His Watch. . The New York Times. 13 August 2018.
Us Military Spending/defense Budget 1960
- U.S. military spending/defense budget for 2019 was $731.75B, a 7.22% increase from 2018.
- U.S. military spending/defense budget for 2018 was $682.49B, a 5.53% increase from 2017.
- U.S. military spending/defense budget for 2017 was $646.75B, a 1.08% increase from 2016.
- U.S. military spending/defense budget for 2016 was $639.86B, a 0.95% increase from 2015.
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Opinionbiden Is Delusional If He Thinks The Afghanistan Withdrawal Doesn’t Endanger Americans
The Taliban did capture some intact U.S.-built aircraft elsewhere in Afghanistan. And by cannibalizing parts and perhaps forcing U.S.-trained pilots and technicians who didnt manage to flee the country to staff them, the Taliban will undoubtedly be able to get some U.S.-built aircraft off the ground, like the Black Hawk helicopter recorded flying over Kandahar, allegedly controlled by a former Afghan air force pilot.
But without proper maintenance and training, these aircraft will be usable only for basic transport duties and delivering unguided weapons. They mostly lack precision-guided bombs and rockets, as the Afghan air force was reported to be running out of these U.S.-supplied weapons a month before the pullout last month. And realistically, combat aircraft require highly trained crew and abundant spare parts to remain operational. For instance, even with the extensive assistance from the U.S., the Afghan air force struggled to maintain its aircraft and suffered shortages of qualified personnel.
Rather than aircraft or MRAPs, arguably the biggest international threat will come from 600,000 small arms and other infantry equipment, like night-vision goggles and body armor, some of which are now in Taliban hands. Some of these arms will disseminate through smuggling networks, potentially fueling violent conflict in neighboring Central Asian states.
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Defense Department Base Budget
The defense base budget of $636 billion funds 12 initiatives. First on the list are Nuclear Modernization and Missile Defense . The new Space Program will cost $18 billion, while Cyberspace protection is budgeted at $10 billion.
The Air Force will spend $57 billion, including $11 billion for 79 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and $739 million for five presidential helicopters. The Navy will spend $32 billion and the Army receives $13 billion.
The Defense Department will also spend $21 billion on munitions and $107 billion in new technology research.
Additional funding goes to each department for readiness development. This includes $31 billion to the Army, $48 billion to the Navy, and $37 billion to the Air Force.
Service members will receive a 3% pay raise and an increase in their housing allowance. Family members receive $8 billion for child care, education, and professional development.
DoD will spend $21 billion on building maintenance and construction.
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Fact Focus: Trump Others Wrong On Us Gear Left With Taliban
The Taliban have seized both political power and significant U.S.-supplied firepower in their whirlwind takeover of Afghanistan, recovering guns, ammunition, helicopters and other modern military equipment from Afghan forces who surrendered it.
But the gear the Taliban have obtained isnt worth the $80 billion or more being claimed this week by social media users and political figures including Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Rep. Lauren Boebert and former President Donald Trump.
While the U.S. spent $83 billion to develop and sustain Afghan security forces since 2001, most of it did not go toward equipment. Nor will the Taliban be able to use every piece of American gear that was supplied to Afghanistan over two decades.
Heres a closer look at the facts.
CLAIM: Taliban fighters now possess U.S. military equipment worth between $80 and $85 billion.
THE FACTS: Those numbers are significantly inflated, according to reports from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, which oversees American taxpayer money spent on the conflict.
In the last days of August, as U.S. troops completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan, social media users began claiming that the “Taliban’s new arsenal was worth as much as $85 billion. Trump amplified the falsehood in a statement Monday, writing that ALL EQUIPMENT should be demanded to be immediately returned to the United States, and that includes every penny of the $85 billion dollars in cost.
