This is a follow-up to my post
Government We Can Afford.
Defense--what and how much do we need?
Short answer: The future appears to belong to the drones, special forces, and cyber capabilities (cyberwarfare/defense/security); everything else is relative and can be scaled up or down as necessary.
The U.S.Military Spending is presently estimated at
Total Spending of $1.030–$1.415 trillion.
So how much is enough? That depends upon the needs, wants, and priorities:
"Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wrote in 2009 that the U.S. should adjust its priorities and spending to address the changing nature of threats in the world: "What all these potential adversaries—from terrorist cells to rogue nations to rising powers—have in common is that they have learned that it is unwise to confront the United States directly on conventional military terms. The United States cannot take its current dominance for granted and needs to invest in the programs, platforms, and personnel that will ensure that dominance's persistence. But it is also important to keep some perspective. As much as the U.S. Navy has shrunk since the end of the Cold War, for example, in terms of tonnage, its battle fleet is still larger than the next 13 navies combined—and 11 of those 13 navies are U.S. allies or partners."[43] Secretary Gates announced some of his budget recommendations in April 2009.[44]" (source: Wikipedia)
By almost any measurement, the U.S. has more military than it needs--"
As much as the U.S. Navy has shrunk since the end of the Cold War, for example, in terms of tonnage, its battle fleet is still larger than the next 13 navies combined—and 11 of those 13 navies are U.S. allies or partners."[43] (source: Wikipedia above).
So reduction in military spending is a given, but for lack of
political will.
