Some would say it's all about self defense. If so, who exactly are we defending ourselves against that requires the use of the largest - most expensive military on the planet? The only folks we've been fighting are rag-tag insurgents in far off countries who are armed with a fleet of Toyota pick up trucks and suicide vests and who we take on using a few squadrons of fighter jets and a small fleet of drones.
Some say it's to champion democracy; free the masses from oppressive dictators and tyrants. If so, exactly which country have we liberated and more so, democratized? One look at the history books would tell you that the last war the United States won was WWII and that was with the help of most of the free world (as we called). Since then it's been nothing but a long bloody trail of stalemates or retreats unless you count Reagan's Grenada Campaign.
Worse still, the United States allies itself with some of the most notorious despots, dictators, and tyrants as long as the "price" is right.
Which brings me to my point. The United States makes war to make money. It's no longer about winning or losing but about lingering as long as possible so that every dollar possible can be squeezed
out of these senseless conflicts and with little or no regard for the so-called collateral damage; e.g. the flag draped body bags of US soldiers the Bush Administration would not allow to be photographed.
And by simply instilling fear in the American people (taxpayers) a handful of neo-cons who manage the Military Industrial Complex continue to make lots of money at everyone else's expense.
The answer can be found here;
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) measures annual military spending for most of the world’s armed countries. According to SIPRI, the United States spent $610 billion on its military last year, several times the $216.4 billion budget of second place China. Based on nominal military expenditure figures, these are the countries with the largest military budgets.
Click here to see the countries spending the most on war.
According to Dr. Sam Perlo-Freeman, head of the SIPRI military expenditure project, the top 10 countries for military spending are either very large, very rich, or both. “Apart from that, there is really very little they have in common,” Perlo-Freeman said. Four of the 10 countries are among the most populous nations in the world. The economies of these countries were among the world’s largest. GDP per capita in six of the 10 countries were among the 25 largest in the world.
The United States stands out — far and away — as the world’s most dominant global superpower. While U.S. military spending has declined from its 2010 peak, spending remains at historically high levels. The expenditure is still far higher than it was during the Cold War, according to Perlo-Freeman, and still higher than in 2001 — just before 9/11.
Perlo-Freeman suggested that the exceptionally high spending in the U.S. reflects a perception that there are “potentially military threats everywhere.” Other top countries for military expenditure have immediate conflicts on their borders. South Korea, Japan, India, and Saudi Arabia are all involved in relatively isolated regional disputes. Russia’s foray into Ukraine and subsequent annexation of Crimea had larger, international ramifications. These conflicts largely account for the high military spending in these countries.
To identify the countries spending the most on their military, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed total military expenditures in 2014 in more than 170 countries from SIPRI. We looked at expenditure data from each year since 2005. For the purpose of comparison, historical data are in inflation-adjusted 2011 dollars. We reviewed SIPRI data on military exports, imports, and military expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product, as well as a percentage of government spending. We also looked at GDP and GDP growth figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In addition, we reviewed 2013 military personnel figures from the World Bank.
1. United States
> Military expenditure: $609.9 billion
> Pct. change military expenditure, 2005-2014: -0.4%
> Expenditure as pct. of GDP: 3.5%
> Military expenditure per capita: $1,891
> Military expenditure: $609.9 billion
> Pct. change military expenditure, 2005-2014: -0.4%
> Expenditure as pct. of GDP: 3.5%
> Military expenditure per capita: $1,891
While U.S.’ military expenditure in 2014 was relatively flat from 2005, it is still by far the largest military spending in the world and several times greater than second-place China. U.S. military spending has fluctuated over the years, but the country has outspent every other nation in the world since at least 2005. Last year, military spending equalled 3.5% of U.S. GDP, the 22nd highest share among countries reviewed. Dr. Perlo-Freeman suggested that the nation’s exceptionally high spending reflects its role as the dominant global superpower and the perception that there are “potentially military threats everywhere.” The U.S. has an estimated 7,100 nuclear warheads, trailing only Russia. The country is also home to several top arms companies, including United Technologies, Raytheon, and Boeing. Still, largely as a result of fiscal austerity and the scaling back of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, U.S. military spending as a percent of total government spending fell from 10.4% in 2013 to 9.5% in 2014.
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