How Much is Enough? A Look at the US Military (Updated)

How much military does the US government have?

U.S. Defense Spending Compared to Other Countries (pgpf.org)

“The United States spends more on national defense than China, India, Russia, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea — combined.”

These numbers do not include spending such as:

* Black Budget and secrets
* War Budget and interest on war debt
* Department of Energy (nuclear)
* Other Defense
* Homeland Security
* Military Aid at the State Department
* Intelligence
* Veterans
* Military Retirement

 

Mapping Militarism *New* from World Beyond War

Maps and background to allow you to explore the world, now and back through the years.

 


“The United States of America, unlike any other nation on Earth, maintains a massive network of foreign military bases around the world, more than 900 bases in more than 90 countries and territories. If the peace movement is serious about ending the United States’ and its allies’ warmaking, then this global constellation of bases must be curtailed.

The Biggest Military Base Empire on Earth – Greta Zarro

 


Counter-terrorism or terrorism?  Interesting maps.  Numbers seem very conservative.


“U.S. bases represent 90-95 percent of the world’s foreign bases, constituting the largest collection of extraterritorial bases in world history…”

Military spending has many points of contention: Closing overseas bases isn’t one of them (2019)  
BY MEDEA BENJAMIN, JOHN TIERNEY, DAVID VINE, AND COL. (RET.) LAWRENCE WILKERSON


 

 

 

Comparing US military to China: US has 20 times the nuclear warheads. Twice the tonnage of warships at sea. The US has over 800 overseas bases, China has 3. The US military has over 2000 fighter jets compared to China’s 600, and the Lockheed F-35 program is set to deliver 2500 nuclear capable jets.

Washington Post: The Pentagon is using China as an excuse for huge new budgets

https://twitter.com/FareedZakaria/status/1373696826205999107

 


 

How often does the US distribute weapons to those who use them against us or against innocent civilians and noncombatants. It is illegal for the US to arm human rights abusers or criminals, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The US is Arms Salesman to the World

Home | Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

 



“…let’s talk military budgets:

The US will spend, if we want to be purists, $716 billion on the military. It’s actually a lot more because the National Security Agency is part of the military, and the CIA to all intents and purposes is military in nature and between them their secret budgets top more than the $50 billion that was leaked in a Congressional hearing eight years ago, and could be double that now since so much more US military activity is now handled by Special Forces acting under the direction of the CIA, but for sake of argument let’s just leave it at $716 billion.

Russia’s military budget is $65 billion, and even if you tripled that to account for how much more expensive everything is in the US from soldiers’ pay to weapons systems would represent less than a third of what the US spends.

China’s military budget is $183 billion, and again, you could double that if you like to account for different costs and it would still be less than half of the US military budget.

That is to say, even if you put the Chinese and Russian militaries together, their budgets would be significantly smaller than the US military budget.”

Let’s Stop Pretending Russia and China are Military Threats BY DAVE LINDORFF

 


“MEMBERS OF THE U.S. special operations forces deployed to 154 countries, or roughly 80 percent of the world’s nations, last year, but information about exactly where elite forces conduct missions, under what authorities they operate, who they’ve killed, and whether they’re adhering to the laws of armed conflict is closely guarded, buried in obscure legal provisions, shrouded in secrecy, or allegedly unknown even to Special Operations Command…”

The Intercept, March 20, 2021

WILL THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SHINE LIGHT ON SHADOWY SPECIAL OPS PROGRAMS? by Nick Turse


 

 

 


 

Military dot com: Base Guide  

 


 

“Today, while there are no foreign bases in the United States, there are around 800 U.S. bases in foreign countries…”

The official website for writer and professor David Vine

 


 

“It’s hard to say since this country has long been working to create and support global arsenals of autocracy.  If the arms industry were truly focused on “defending democracy” on this planet, its firms would have already allowed the above-mentioned reforms to go through without objection, or even, heaven forbid, supported them. The fact that they won’t do so tells you all you need to know about their true intentions in what is for them a genuine gold-rush moment.”

 


“It’s not a matter of whether the war is not real or if it is. Victory is not possible.
The war is not meant to be won. It is meant to be continuous. A hierarchical society is only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance.”

~ George Orwell ~

Will Veterans Tested On Like Lincoln Receive Help from US Government

Nuclear Weapons Use at Bikini

 

F. Lincoln Grahlfs is now 101 years old and the oldest Atomic Veteran remaining who was subject to nuclear weapons testing. For some reason, the Congress is so far not continuing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.  Will they ignore the harm done or is it grandstanding?  

After being tested on with nuclear weapons, some doctors thought X-rays might help those who were getting sick. Navy sailor, F. Lincoln Grahlfs:

“He said: “We call that the hair of the dog that bit you.” …I am affected by this thing as far as I am concerned LIFETIME because it’s in my blood.”

NPR: ‘Atomic veterans’ battle with Congress for benefits

 

LISTEN IN: Military servicemembers who took part in the country’s nuclear testing program are on the verge of losing federal benefits 

 


 

“The United States Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) is a federal statute implemented in 1990, set to expire in July 2024, providing for the monetary compensation of people, including atomic veterans, who contracted cancer and a number of other specified diseases as a direct result of their exposure to atmospheric nuclear testing undertaken by the United States during the Cold War as residents, or their exposure to radon gas and other radioactive isotopes while undertaking uranium mining, milling or the transportation of ore…”

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act – Wikipedia

 


 

  1. Voices from Ground Zero: Recollections and Feelings of Nuclear Test Veterans – F. Lincoln Grahlfs – Google Books
  2. US Senate votes to expand radiation-exposure compensation, from Guam to original A-bomb test site | AP News
  3. Veterans and Nuclear Radiation Exposure | C-SPAN.org
  4. Veterans of US atomic age deserve compensation (militarytimes.com)
  5. ‘You can’t live with them’: Madison WWII vet exposed to atomic testing warns about nuclear weapons
  6. Civil Division | Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (justice.gov)
  7. Classified US nuclear test films saved for posterity (newatlas.com)

 


May 2024      Arms Control Association
By Chris Rostampour

“Communities adversely affected by U.S. nuclear testing and weapons production activities in the early years of the nuclear age and their congressional representatives are urging the House of Representatives to reauthorize and expand an expiring federal program that compensates victims of nuclear radiation.”
U.S. House Under Pressure to Renew Aid for ‘Downwinders’

 


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Let us remember those lost and learn from the past.

Join us in putting up simulated grave markers at Olbrich Park 9 am on Saturday May 25 and bringing them down Saturday June 1st.starting 9 am

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Reaching for Peace Beyond Our Certainties

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If you want to get more perspectives beyond the mainstream: 
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