The Master Plan to Cut Unnecessary Defense Spending

The United States of America is famous for the having the distinction of having the most technologically advanced armed forces in the whole world. The reason for such is that the U.S. also spends about 46.5% of the total defense spending of the whole world. According to the Department of Defense, the total budget for fiscal year 2010 is pegged at $663.8 billion. The nearest highest spender is China which spends about $98 billion for its military. If you compare both figures, you will notice the huge difference especially at this time where there is really no major world war going on.

In this time of severe economic downfall, any form of unnecessary spending is condemned and the government is desperately finding ways to save more money. Of all places to look at, the U.S. defense spending is probably the best thing to consider in cutting unnecessary expenses and generating more funds for other needed services. Just recently, U.S. Department of Defense secretary Robert Gates introduced a master plan that will significantly cut the defense spending but will still preserve the combat effectiveness of its troops.

The plan is projected to save around $100 billion which will be used for other important needs. There were several points that Sec. Gates mentioned. First, is by removing useless private contractors who is not really of good use to the army. Figures showed that about 39% of the entire defense department workforce was private contractors. Removing these unneeded personnel will certainly save more money. He also mentioned the removal of numerous Generals, Admirals and Senior Civilians. The increase in the number of higher positions was motivated by prestige for a particular service rather than the actual need for a particular mission.

Next, he also wanted to remove the Joint Forces Command which basically had more private contractors over government employees. Today, the USJFCOM is really fully utilized and that the money spent for the military command isn’t worthy enough. Sec. Gates also stated the plan to remove several IT offices of the military that was perceived to be redundant and having duplicate missions. And finally, the expensive studies conducted by the Defense Department which isn’t really giving useful inputs shall be stopped.

For years, a lot of opportunistic private contractors have cost the U.S. government millions or even billions of dollars. It is a sad fact that not all military personnel are doing their job right and yet are still receiving a fat paycheck. It is now time to determine who should leave and who to stay. The Defense Budget should never be used to only serve a particular group’s interest but instead be used to protect and defend the entire nation from chaos and unrest. At a time when the government needs all the money it can have, cutting unnecessary defense spending can really be a huge boost.

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.