5 Bad Arguments for Cutting U.S. Defense Spending

Justin T. Johnson

Security, United States

Americans deserve an honest debate about the costs of national security.

We’ve all seen the click-bait headlines.

“You won’t believe how much the U.S. spends on its military.”

“The U.S. spends more than the next 13 countries on defense!”

But military spending is a big ticket item, and it’s perfectly legitimate to question military spending.

Next month, President Obama will propose his FY2017 budget, and the public debate over national security spending will be begin anew.

So, how much should the United States spend on national security? Spend too little and our adversaries may be emboldened to exploit weaknesses, costing American blood and treasure. Spend too much, and the misallocation of resources will add to the debt shouldered by future generations. It’s a difficult balance to strike.

But it’s vital that we get it right. Americans have every reason to be concerned about the state of the U.S. military. The most recent Index of U.S. Military Strength assessed the global threat level as “elevated” and America’s ability to defend itself and its interests as only “marginal.”

Given the stakes, we need to understand where arguments regarding national security spending fall short. Here are five common—but bad—arguments made by those seeking to cut the defense budget.

“The United States spends more than the next seven countries combined.”

Statistically true, but not particularly helpful. The United States also spends more on health care than the next nine countries combined. In 2012, Americans accounted for about one-third of the world’s total spending on entertainment. We’re a big, rich country—with a lot to protect and a host of vital interests around the globe.