the militarization of america at what cost?

PREPARED BY PEACE ACTION MONTGOMERYWWW.PEACEACTIONMC.ORG

The Militarization of AmericaAt What Cost?

Topics

The Federal Budget and Military SpendingWhere Does the Money Go?Arming the WorldWhat Does American Militarism Cost You?What You Can Do

2

The Federal BudgetMilitary Spending

3

Total Federal Budget, FY 2010 Both Discretionary & Mandatory

4

Source: National Priorities Project

Mandatory: Required by law Examples:

•Interest on Debt (9.5%)

•Social Security (21%)

•Medicare

•Unemployment

Discretionary: Negotiated each year Examples:

•Military

•Education

•Research

Discretionary Budget AuthorityFY 2010

5

“All other” includes:

•Environment•Science•Transportation•International affairs•Everything else except entitlements and debt.


Obama Budget Proposal FY 20116

Source: National Priorities Project, FY 2011

Growth in Military SpendingExcluding Wars

7

Source: Project on Defense Alternatives

Discretionary SpendingBy Category, 2009

8

Billions of Dollars

Source: Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Briefing Book

2010Budget: Military Recruitment vs. Peace Corps

0

1,000,000,000

2,000,000,000

3,000,000,000

4,000,000,000

5,000,000,000

6,000,000,000

7,000,000,000

Military Recruiting Budget

Peace Corps Total Budget

Dollars

Sources: American Forces Press Service; Peace Corps Web Site

9

U.S. Military Spending vs. Other Countries, In Rank Order, FY 2009

Source: Center for Arms Control and Source: Center for Arms Control and NonproliferationNonproliferation

10

U.S. Job Creation with $1 Billion Spending

Num

ber

of J

obs

Cre

ated

Education Health Care Clean Energy Consumption Military

Source: U of MA, Political Economy Research Institute

11

Montgomery County Citizens’ Share of Military Expenditures, FY2010

Budget

About $3 billion or

$2,000 per person


12

With $3 Billion, Montgomery County Could Instead Have Paid For:

All expenses at a public university for four years for every 18-year-old in the County, and

Renewable electricity for three years for all the homes in the county, and

Over 5,000 new affordable housing units.

Source: Computed from National Priorities Project and census

13

State of Maryland

MD portion FY 2010 military budget: $13.7 bn

State FY 2010 budget: $13.9 bnEstimated shortfall: 2.6 bn

Proposed state spending cuts: Public Health Disabled Education

14

Source: National Priorities Project, Out of Balance

How Much Could We Cut the Military Budget?

15

Andrew Bacevich:

We should reduce the US military budget to a level that does not exceed the combined military spending of all ten of the next highest-spending countries in the world.

Source: National Priorities Project—Security Spending Primer

Where Does the Money Go?

•War costs•Foreign military bases•War profiteers

16

Military Budget, 201117

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Total War CostsIraq and Afghanistan Through 2010

Total direct cost of both wars by 2010: over $1 trillion

18

Iraq: $747 billionAf/Pak: $332 billion (including epected June supplemental of $33 billion) Total: $1.079 trillion


$1 Trillion is a Thousand Billion

Imagine that you spent $1 million/day beginning with the birth of Jesus—to spend a trillion dollars, you’d need to keep spending $1 million/day until mid-way through the 28th century.

If you laid out $1 trillion end-to-end in $100 bills, you could circle the Earth at the equator 39 times.

A trillion dollars could pay the salaries for a year of 18 million people at $55,000 per job.

19

Afghanistan War Costs

Total U.S. defense spending in Afghanistan, FY 2010: $101 billion.

$1 million: cost to send one soldier to Afghanistan for one year

$400 per gallon: US military’s cost of gasoline in Afghanistan

Source: Congressional Research Service Report RL 33110

20

Afghanistan War vs. World Military Spending

In 2010, the United States will spend more on the war in Afghanistan than any other country in the world spends in total on the military.

Source: Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation; Reuters

21

It’s a Choice!

Are lengthy occupations of Iraq & Afghanistan how we want to spend our money? We have

other threats!

22



23

U.S. Foreign Military Bases

The US maintains about 1,000 foreign military bases

Foreign bases cost taxpayers about $250 billion per year

Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

24

Floating Bases

The U.S. has 11 nuclear powered aircraft supercarriers—the entire rest of the world has 11 carriers, and these are all much smaller than those of the U.S.

The U.S. maintains over 100 deployed ships and submarines at any given time—with 30,000 sailors afloat.

26

Source: United States Navy; Project on Defense Alternatives

Military Bases as the New Imperialism

95% of all the military bases on another country’s soil are U.S. bases.

“Once upon a time, you could trace the spread of imperialism by counting up colonies. America's version of the colony is the military base.”

Chalmers Johnson, 2004

Source: Chalmers Johnson

27

The Movement to End Foreign Bases28

Source: International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases

International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases: www.no-bases.org

Foreign Bases: A Provocation

The Declaration of Independence criticizes the British "for quartering large bodies of armed troops among us" and "for protecting them . . . from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these States.“

Foreign bases create enemies and make us less safe.

29



30

War Profiteers

Definition: Any person or organization that improperly profits from warfare or by selling weapons and other goods to parties at war.

How do we define “improperly”?

31

War Profiteers

Are huge profits improper? Is it acceptable for some people to make literally millions of dollars--because thousands of others die?

Is it improper if contractors lobby for wars that they benefit from financially?

Is it improper if contractors’ products are shoddy?

If contractors engage in fraud and highly wasteful practices?

32

War ProfiteersExample: Lockheed Martin

84% Percent of L/M profits derived directly from US tax

payers, 2008

$4.4 billion Amount of tax-payer money distributed as profit, 2008

$30,939,233 Total compensation of Lockheed Martin CEO, 2007

$28,253,165Total compensation of 6 other executives, 2007

33

Sources: LM Company Statements; Company Pay.Com

Lockheed Martin

Paid $577.2 million in fines because of contract fraud since 1995

Found guilty of 50 instances of various kinds of misconduct (including contractor kickbacks, nuclear safety violations, fraud, etc.)

Consistently behind schedule and over budget. Source: Project on Government Oversight

34

Lockheed Martin Cost Overrun Example:

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Original contract: $5o million per planeNew estimate: $113 million per planePentagon plan: purchase 2,450 Total cost: $323 billion.

A single weapons system is now estimated to cost almost one-third of what the health-care plan is expected to cost over a decade.

35

Source: Tom Engelhardt

Lockheed Martin: Forms of Influence

Political donations, 2008 cycle: $2,801,455 (from L/M PACs and individuals, per FEC)

Paid lobbying, 2008: $15,981,506

Source: Open Secrets

36

Lockheed Martin: Forms of Influence

Geographic distribution of subcontractors

“The ideal weapons system is built in 435 Congressional districts and it doesn’t matter whether it works or not.”

Alain C. Enthoven, economist and former Pentagon official

In 2009, Lockheed Martin placed full-page ads in the Washington Post showing the number of jobs for F-22 construction, by Congressional district, throughout the nation.

37

Lockheed Martin: Forms of Influence—The Revolving

Door

Lockheed's former vice-president, Bruce Jackson, worked in the DOD, and then organized and chaired the “non-profit” Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (2002-03): It lobbied hard for the Iraq war—a war that dramatically increased Lockheed Martin profits

8 other senior Bush Administration members had similar ties to Lockheed Martin

Source: Hartung & Ciarrocca

38

The War Profiteer Circle39

What Do Military Contractors Do?

Feed troops Maintain facilities and equipmentTransport cargoWash clothesProvide security guards for bases and

diplomatsEngage in military actions

Contractors are doing everything that used to be done solely by the military—for a profit.

40

Contractors vs. Troops in Afghanistan41

Source: Congressional Research Service

Who Are Mercenaries?

Soldiers-for-hire or “private security contractors.”

They are recruited from all over the world.

42

Outsourcing the Military

“The United States has created a new system for waging war. . . You turn the entire world into your recruiting ground. You intricately link corporate profits to an escalation of warfare and make it profitable for companies to participate in your wars.”

“We live amidst the most radical privatization agenda in the history of our country.”

Investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill

Source: Bill Moyers Interview

43

Outsourcing the Military

Powerful companies promote war because it is profitable, not because of the interests of the nation

The profit motive can be counter to the military’s goals and the nation’s

Oversight of contractors is negligible and contractors often do poor jobs—costing lives and more money

Cost-plus contracts , the most common DOD-type contract, encourage waste and unnecessary spending

44

Is It Possible to End War Profiteering

FDR:Supported broad increases in the corporate

income tax;Raised the excess-profits tax to 90 percent;

and Charged the Office of War Mobilization with

the task of eliminating illegal profits.

46

Outsourcing War & Democracy

As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned, and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.

Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 1864

47

Arming the World:Costs Associated with Aid &

Sales48

U.S.: Arms Dealer to the World

Source: Congressional Research Service, Sept. 2009

Arms Transfer Agreements with The World, By Supplier, 2008

49

Sales to Other Countries:Example Israel

Proposed U.S. Military Aid to Israel FY2009-FY2018: $30 billion

Israel is required to use 74% of its aid money on U.S. purchases, totaling $24.4 billion.

50

Source: Congressional Research Service: US Foreign Aid to Israel

Sales to Other CountriesExample: Israel

Pentagon Seeks $15.2B Fighter Sale to Israel

Sept. 30, 2008

“The Defense Department said today it wants to sell up to 75 fighter jets to Israel in a $15.2 billion deal . . . The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it notified Congress on Friday that Israel has asked to buy 25 of the F-35s made by Lockheed Martin Corp., with an option to buy an additional 50 at a later date.”

51

Newser Online News Journal

Sales to Other Countries:Example Israel

US gives Israel billions of dollars

US requires Israel to spend most of it by buying from US arms manufacturers

Israel buys planes from Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin makes more profits

52

Fragments of a US-made M155 white phosphorus carrier artillery shell fired by Israeli forces into Gaza

White phosphorus:

Causes deep burns through muscle and down to the bone, continuing to burn until deprived of oxygen.

Can contaminate other parts of the body, poisoning and irreparably damaging internal organs.

Is extremely painful and very lethal.

White phosphorus was used extensively in the war on Gaza 2008-09

53

Source: Amnesty International

Remains of a US-made Hellfire missile that killed 3 paramedics and a child in Gaza.

War on Gaza, ‘08-’09:

American-made planes

Dropping American-made bombs

Paid for with American taxpayer funds

54

Source: Amnesty International

What Does the Militarization of America

Cost You?55

•Economic Costs•Environmental Costs•Cost to Democracy

A Weaker Economy

The more a country spends on the military relative to its economy:

The slower the economic growthThe higher the unemploymentThe slower the productivity growth

56

Source: Council on Economic Priorities

A Weaker Economy

Money to finance wars displaces productive investment, for example to rebuild infrastructure at home.

As a result of not making these investments, future output in the U.S. will be smaller.

Source: Stiglitz and Bilmes, The Three Trillion Dollar War

57

Economic Costs: Debt Service

Source: Congressional Joint Economic Committee Majority Staff, Nov. 2007

Interest costs alone are so high that they will soon dwarf federal spending on other priorities

58

Personal CostsProjected Costs of Wars: $3.5 Trillion by

2017

Almost $50,000 per Family

Source: Congressional Joint Economic Committee Majority Staff, Nov. 2007

59

Total Estimated Costs of Iraq & Afghanistan: $3.5 Trillion

With $3.5 trillion, for the next 133 years, we could send every 18-year-old in the U.S. to a state university. We could pay all their education expenses--tuition, fees, and room and board--for four years.

60

Is the Money We Are Spending Making Us Safer?

Have the wars made us safer?Do hundreds of foreign bases make us safer?Do expensive cold war-era weapons make us

safer?Is our reliance on expensive contractors

improving our safety? Do weapons sales and military aid to other

countries make us safer?

61

Seeking Security: Other Ways to Spend Our Money

Diplomacy Nonproliferation Contributions to International OrganizationsContributions to Peacekeeping UN Peacebuilding Stabilization and ReconstructionEconomic Development Alternative Energy

62

Source: Foreign Policy in Focus, Unified Security Budget

Seeking Security:Other Ways to Spend Our Money

First Responder Grants Public Health Workforce Capacity Infectious Disease Control/Global HealthIn-Line Airport Checked Bag Screening Port security grantsPublic transportation security grantsTransportation security training Chemical site security

63

Source: Foreign Policy in Focus, Unified Security Budget


Cost You?64


Environmental Costs

The U.S. military is the biggest polluter in the

world, generating an estimated 750,000 tons of toxic waste every year.

The military burns an estimated 20 million gallons of gasoline daily—about the same as the entire country of Iran.

65

Sources: Graydon Carter; Barry Sanders


Cost You?66


Threat to Democracy

Militarism restricts freedom at home Freedom of speech (e.g., Eugene Debs imprisoned for

several years because of opposition to World War I) People today fearful of protesting—might lose jobs

67

Threat to Democracy

Militarism involves immense amounts of money that corrupt the political system Campaign contributions and election ads by war profiteers Lobbying by war profiteers and other corporations (e.g., oil)

Militarism leads to secrecy which is incompatible with democracy The “State Secrets Privilege”: invoked 23 times by Bush &

used to dismiss entire cases without regard to the merits—now used by Obama

The hiding of the “Pentagon Papers” during the Vietnam War

68

Threat to Democracy

Militarism erodes fundamental rights Denial of Habeas Corpus in “War on Terror” Legalization of torture Military Commissions Act of 2006, creating kangaroo

courts

Militarism demonizes certain citizens--who then lose basic rights Japanese-Americans in WW II Muslims and Arab Americans today

69

Threat to Democracy

Militarism expands government surveillance of citizens Patriot Act NSA data mining

Militarism leads to powerful secret paramilitary organizations, illegal actions by government, and lack of accountability—destroying the rule of law CIA – Illegal violence in Chile, Iran, Central America,

Pakistan “Extraordinary rendition”— kidnappings and disappearances CIA Black Sites—secret prisons, beyond any law

70

Threat to Democracy

Of all the enemies to public liberty war is . . . most to be dreaded because it comprises . . . the germ of every other. . . No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.

James Madison

71

BECAUSE OUR ECONOMY IS WEAKER DUE TO EXCESSIVE MILITARY SPENDING, WE HAVE:Less to invest in new businesses and new ways of doing thingsLess to spend on health, education, infrastructure, art and culture

WE ALL HAVE TO WORK HARDER AND LONGER HOURS, JUST TO STAY EVEN.

WE ENDANGER THE ABILITY OF HUMAN BEINGS TO LIVE ON EARTH.

WE PLACE THE FUTURE OF OUR DEMOCRACY AT RISK.


Cost You?72

The Cost of Militarism

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.

Dwight Eisenhower

77

What We Can Do78

Lobbying

Electoral Work Public Education

Media Outreach

Street Activism

79

You Can Lobby

80

You Can Help Elect Progressive Candidates

81

You Can Help Us Inform Our Community

82

You Can Be Part of the New Media

83

You can be in the streets!

Be A One-Minute Activist

Don’t feel like you can make that kind of time? There are other ways you can be part of the solution:

Sign up for Peace Action Montgomery’s bi-monthly email letter—and take the actions we suggest

Host an educational event with your church, community group, neighborhood

Contribute to an organization working for peace: money is power

Find what you can do—and do that

84

Peace Action Montgomery

www.PeaceActionMC.org

85

Sources

American Forces Press Service, http://www.smallgovtimes.com/2009/05/proposed-military-recruiting-cuts-reasonable

American Friends Service Committee, http://www.countdowntowithdrawal.org/ Amnesty International, http://www.amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_20012.pdf Center for Arms Control and Non Proliferation, 2009 Briefing Book,

http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/assets/pdfs/fy09_dod_request_briefing_book.pdf Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, “Putting Afghanistan Troop Increases in

Perspective,” Dec. 2. http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/policy/securityspending/articles/120209_afghanistan_costs_in_perspective/

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, “Analysis of 2010 Defense Authorization Agreement,” Oct. 21, 2009. http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/policy/securityspending/articles/102109_c111_fy10_authconf/

Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation: http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/ Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=1258 Chalmers Johnson, America’s Empire of Bases.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/1181/chalmers_johnson_on_garrisoning_the_planet Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, Interim Report, June 2009:

http://www.wartimecontracting.gov/docs/CWC_Interim_Report_At_What_Cost_06-10-09.pdf Company Pay.Com:

http://www.companypay.com/executive/compensation/lockheed-martin-corp.asp?yr=2008

86

Sources, continued

CNN , Congress to Probe Private Military Contractors in Afghanistan: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/17/afghanistan.contractors.probe/

Congressional Joint Economic Committee Majority Report. War At Any Price?: http://jec.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Reports.Reports&ContentRecord_id=c6616188-7e9c-9af9-716c-d2ecbc191d33&Region_id=&Issue_id=

Congressional Research Service Report RL 33110, September 28, 2009 http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33110.pdf

Congressional Research Service Report R40764, September 21, 2009, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R40764.pdf

Congressional Research Service Report RL 33222, US Foreign Aid to Israel, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf

Congressional Research Service: http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/129342.pdf

Anita Dancs, Mary Orisich, Suzanne Smith, The Military Costs of Securing Energy (National Priorities Project – October 2008) http://www.nationalpriorities.org/auxiliary/energy_security/executive_summary.pdf

Tom Englehardt: Tomdispatch, http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175219/tomgram%3A_william_astore%2C_you_have_no_say_about_your_military/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tomdispatch%2FesUU+%28TomDispatch%3A+The+latest+Tomgram%29

87

Sources, continued

Foreign Policy in Focus: http://www.fpif.org/ Foreign Policy in Focus, A Unified Security Budget:

http://www.ips-dc.org/reports-list.php?start=6 http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2003/03jan-feb/jan-feb03corp2.html Friends Committee on National Legislation, “Keeping Military Spending in Balance with

the Nation’s Priorities,” March 16, 2009. http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=3538&issue_id=19

William Hartung and Michelle Ciarrocca, “ Corporate Think Tanks and the Doctrine of Aggressive Militarism,” The Multinational Monitor, Jan/Feb. 2003.

Huck Gutman, http://www.redrat.net/BUSH_WAR/mercenaries/index.htm#mercs Iraq Coalition Casualties: http://icasualties.org/oif/ Jeremy Scahill, interviewed by Bill Moyers, June 2009.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18211.cfm John Feffer, “Good War vs. Great Society,” Foreign Policy in Focus, Sept. 22, 2009.

http://www.fpif.org/fpifzines/wb/6433 Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes, The Three Trillion Dollar War, Norton & Co., 2008. Just Foreign Policy: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html National Priorities Project: http://www.nationalpriorities.org National Priorities Project Security Spending Primer:

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/Publications/NPP_Security_Spending_Primer.pdf

88

Sources, continued

National Priorities Project, Out of Balance: http://www.nationalpriorities.org/webinars/out-of-balance

National Priorities Project, President’s Budget FY 2011: http://www.nationalpriorities.org/Presidents_Budget_FY2011

Newser: http://www.newser.com/story/38814/pentagon-seeks-152b-fighter-sale-to-israel.html

Open Secrets: http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.php?capcode=mwkzr&name=Lockheed&state=&zip=&employ=&cand= and http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?year=2008&lname=Lockheed+Martin

Peace Corps Web Site, http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=1452

Political Economy Research Institute, U. of Mass., Robert Pollin and Heidi Garrett-Peltier , “The U.S. Employment Effects of Military and Domestic Spending Priorities ,” , Oct. 9, 2009: http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/071001-jobcreation.pdf

Project on Defense Alternatives: http://www.comw.org/pda/1002BudgetSurge.html Project on Defense Alternatives, http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/1001PDABM45.pdf Project on Government Oversight, http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/alerts/contract-

oversight/co-fcm-20090421.html Refugees International: http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/9679

89

Sources, continued

Reuters, Chinese Military Spending: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6230A720100304

Right Web: Committee for the Liberation of Iraq: http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/Committee_for_the_Liberation_of_Iraq

Salary.com: http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/swzl_compresult_national_lg12000010.html

U.S. Budget: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2010/assets/summary.pdf- United States Navy Fact File, http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?

cid=4200&tid=200&ct=4, accessed November 15, 2009. War Resisters League: http://www.warresisters.org/ Ycharts: Lockheed Martin: http://ycharts.com/companies/LMT

90

the militarization of america at what cost?

Documents

military budget

military veterans785

military recruitment

military expenditures

military spendingwhere

chart data range

lower right corner of

total federal budget