Defense Spending is Bigger Now than During the Cold War Era?

The Cold War was one of the most popular and significant event in the history of military defense. The war was basically an ongoing political and military conflict between the then powerful Soviet Union and the Western Powers which was spearheaded by the United States of America. It was during that time where nations heavily increased their military and defense spending to produce numerous military technologies. The arms race was very rapid that every nation tried to create the perfect technology to put them at a strategic advantage against the opposition.

Massachusetts's House Representative Barney Frank told the media figures showed that the U.S. accounts for the majority of world defense spending as opposed to figures during the Cold war era. He emphasized that during the Cold war, the U.S. was only accounted for 26% of worldwide military spending. Today, the U.S. has increased spending and now covers over 41% of world military expenditures. The figures show that the U.S. is now spending more on defense compared to the Cold War Era where war was more likely to happen.

A study was then held to validate the claim of Mr. Frank. The result of the study concluded that Frank’s claim was somewhat inaccurate and his assumptions were not enough to draw a conclusion that the U.S. has indeed spent more today compared to the more hostile years of the Cold War. For example, the data from the Cold War was only taken out from a single year considering that the war lasted for over 44 years. Also during the period between 1986 until 2006, the worldwide defense spending has significantly dropped by 40%. This proves that a defense spending comparison between the Cold War era and Today’s time isn’t meaningful at all.

It was assumed the Barney Frank used this to create a consensus about cutting military spending. While Frank’s report isn’t factual, there should still be a social awareness with regards to the U.S. defense spending. According to a reliable source which lists the top nations according to defense expenditures, the U.S. defense spending is higher than the next 9 or 10 countries that trail it. $663 billion is being spent solely for military purposes without really having any major or global war. While the country is struggling financially, a huge amount of the budget goes to military technology which isn’t really an urgent necessity. The government should review their budget allocation procedures and retrace their priorities.