US Military Budget, Its Components, Challenges, and Growth
Why Military Spending Is More Than You Think It Is
Updated April 22, 2019
Estimated U.S. military
spending is $989 billion. It covers the period October 1, 2019, through
September 30, 2020. Military spending is the second largest item in the federal budget after Social Security. The United States spends
more on defense [sic] than the next nine countries combined.
This estimate is more than
the $750 billion announced by President Donald Trump. The United States has
many departments that support its defense [sic]. All these departments must be
included to get an accurate picture of how much America spends on its military
operations.
The Four
Components of U.S. Military Spending
If you really want to get
a handle on what the United States spends on defense [sic], you need to look at
four components.
First is
the $576 billion base
budget for the Department of Defense. [sic] Second is $174
billion in overseas contingency operations for DoD [sic] to fight
the Islamic State group. These two combined total the $740 billion touted
by the president.
Third is the total
of other agencies that protect our nation. These expenses are
$212.9 billion. They include the Department of Veterans Affairs
($93.1 billion). Funding for the VA has been increased by $10 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 ($51.7 billion), the State Department ($42.8
billion), the National Nuclear Security Administration in the Department of Energy ($16.5 billion),
and the FBI and Cybersecurity in
the Department of Justice.
The last component
is $26.1 billion in OCO funds for the State Department and
Homeland Security.
Congress must pass a spending bill for
defense [sic] and the other departments by September 30, 2019, to avoid a government shutdown.
Defense
Department Base Budget
The defense [sic] base
budget of $576 billion funds the National Security Strategy and National
Defense Strategy. It creates three new initiatives: the U.S. Space Force, the
U.S. Space Command, and the Space Development Agency. DoD [sic] will spend $9.6
billion on cyber-strategy and expansion of artificial intelligence. It will
build a new missile field in Alaska to defend against ballistic missile
threats. Employees will receive a 3.1% pay increase.
Congress also provided
funds to safeguard bases from climate change. It required facilities in
the 100-year floodplain to design for two more feet of flooding. It wants
DoD to investigate China’s activities in the Arctic. To that end,
it authorized icebreakers.
Overseas
Contingency Operations
Ironically, the DoD [sic]
base budget does not include the cost of wars. That falls under Overseas
Contingency Operations. It's budgeted at $174 billion for DoD [sic] and
$26.1 billion for other departments Since 2001, the OCO budget has spent $2
trillion to pay for the War on Terror.
Military
Spending History
Here's a summary of
military spending in billions of dollars since 2003:
|
FY
|
DoD
Base Budget
|
DoD
OCO
|
Support
Base
|
Support
OCO
|
Total
Spending
|
|
2003
|
$364.9
|
$72.5
|
|
|
$437.4
|
|
2004
|
$376.5
|
$91.1
|
|
|
$467.6
|
|
2005
|
$400.1
|
$78.8
|
|
|
$478.9
|
|
$410.6
|
$124.0
|
$109.7
|
|
$644.3
|
|
|
$431.5
|
$169.4
|
$120.6
|
|
$721.5
|
|
|
$479.0
|
$186.9
|
$127.0
|
|
$792.9
|
|
|
$513.2
|
$153.1
|
$149.4
|
|
$815.7
|
|
|
$527.2
|
$163.1
|
$160.3
|
$0.3
|
$851.6
|
|
|
$528.2
|
$158.8
|
$167.4
|
$0.7
|
$855.1
|
|
|
$530.4
|
$115.1
|
$159.3
|
$11.5
|
$816.3
|
|
|
$495.5
|
$82.1
|
$157.8
|
$11.0
|
$746.4
|
|
|
$496.3
|
$85.2
|
$165.4
|
$6.7
|
$753.6
|
|
|
$496.1
|
$64.2
|
$165.6
|
$10.5
|
$736.4
|
|
|
$521.7
|
$58.9
|
$171.9
|
$15.1
|
$767.6
|
|
|
$523.2
|
$82.5
|
$177.1
|
$35.1
|
$818.9
|
|
|
2018 Actual
|
$574.5
|
$88.1
|
$181.8
|
$46.4
|
$890.8
|
|
2019
Estimated
|
$657.0
|
$69.0
|
$214.4
|
$26.1
|
$956.5
|
|
2020
Budget
|
$576.0
|
$174.0
|
$212.9
|
$26.1
|
$989.0
|
Factors Influencing the
OCO Budget
- 2003: Iraq War launched March 19.
- 2004: U.S. torture at Abu Ghraib prison
increased resistance to the war, but not enough to lower costs.
- 2005: Afghanistan War costs rose to
protect free elections.
- 2006: Costs rose in Iraq.
- 2007: Surge in Iraq to counter violence.
- 2008: Violence rose in Middle East due to
recession.
- 2009: Surge in Afghanistan.
- 2010: Obama funds Iraq drawdown.
- 2011: Iraq War ended but costs reached all-time high.
- 2012: Troop withdrawal in Afghanistan War. Costs
began falling.
- 2013: Sequestration cut spending.
- 2014: Wind-down of Afghanistan War.
- 2015: Sequestration cut spending. Still higher
than in 2007.
- 2016: Resurgence of ISIS.
- 2017: Increase in VA and FBI funding. Trump
asked Congress for $30 billion more in military spending.
- 2018: Trump asked Congress to repeal sequestration for
the defense budget. Requested a spending increase to fight ISIS.
- 2019: Congress repealed sequestration for defense for
two years.
- 2020: Trump increase VA and OCO and reduced the State
Department.
Three Ways
DoD [sic] Tries to Save Money, But Congress Won't Let It
The Defense [sic]
Department knows it needs to become more efficient. It now spends a third of its budget on
personnel and maintenance. That will rise to 100% by 2024, thanks to
retirement and medical costs. That leaves no funds for procurement, research,
and development, construction or housing. These necessary support programs now
take up more than a third of DoD's [sic] budget.
How could the DoD [sic]
become more efficient? First, it needs to reduce its civilian workforce instead
of resorting to hiring freezes and unpaid furloughs. The civilian
workforce grew by 100,000 in the last decade,
Second, it must reduce pay
and benefits costs for each soldier. Instead, it plans to raise both.
Third, and most important,
it should close unneeded military bases.
By its own estimates, the DoD [sic] is operating with 21% excess capacity
in all its facilities.
Congress won't allow DoD
[sic] to close bases. The Bi-Partisan Budget Act of 2013 blocked
future military base closings. Few elected officials are willing to risk losing
local jobs caused by base closures in their states. Instead, the Pentagon will
need to reduce the number of soldiers so it can afford the benefits of
bases.
Congress is also reluctant
to allow DoD [sic] to cut other costs, like military health benefits and the
growth of military pay. Sequestration cut defense [sic] spending by $487
billion over 10 years. Many in Congress said the cuts
jeopardize national security. They are concerned about a
cutback of about 100,000 troops, closure of domestic military bases, and
termination of some weapons systems. All of those cuts cost jobs and
revenue in their districts. That's why lawmakers added $180 billion to the
limits imposed by sequestration for FY 2018 and FY 2019
At the same time, U.S. military spending is greater
than those of the next 10 largest government expenditures combined. It's
four times more than China's military budget of $228 billion. It's almost 10
times bigger than Russia's budget of just $69.4 billion.
U.S. militarism allows other allies to cut
back on their own defense spending. It also raises the U.S. budget deficit and the $22 trillion debt. There is no realistic way
to reduce either without cutting defense [sic] spending.
Federal
Budget Overview
- Federal Budget Breakdown
- Revenue and Taxes
- Spending
- Mandatory
- Discretionary
- Current Deficit
- How the Deficit Affects the Debt
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center,
325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-323-1607; Email:
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"The master class has always declared the wars; the
subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to
gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and
everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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