{"id":4664,"date":"2024-06-14T14:57:39","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T14:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/?p=4664"},"modified":"2024-06-14T14:57:39","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T14:57:39","slug":"what-do-we-spend-on-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/uncategorized\/what-do-we-spend-on-war\/","title":{"rendered":"What do we spend on war?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n.military-spending-card-background {\n    background-color: #dcdfc4;\n    padding-bottom: 2rem;\n    padding-top: 2rem;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cBut to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you\u201d (Luke 6:27).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;<em>The Church of the Brethren regards with sorrow and deep concern our nation\u2019s increasing movement toward a permanently militaristic outlook. . . . The American public may come to accept as normal and inevitable the prospect that the nation must be prepared to go to war at any moment . . . that an overwhelming share of our Federal taxes must be devoted to military needs, and that this country must always be willing to assume the military burdens of weaker allies, actual or potential. Because of our complete dissent from these assumptions, the Church of the Brethren desires again, as at other times in its history, to declare its convictions about war and peace. . . . recognizing that almost all aspects of the economy are directly or indirectly connected with national defense.&#8221;<\/em><br>\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/ac\/statements\/1970-war\/\">1970 Annual Conference Statement on War<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every year, the United States spends vast sums on war and the military\u2014far more than any other nation. In 2023, the $900 billion military budget of the US represented 40.5 percent of the global total and was more than the combined total of 15 countries with the next highest military spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cTotal global military expenditure reached $2,443 billion [equivalent to $2.443 trillion in the U.S., which uses different terminology than Europe] in 2023, an increase of 6.8 percent in real terms from 2022,\u201d reports the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. \u201cThis was the steepest year-on-year increase since 2009. The 10 largest spenders in 2023\u2014led by the United States, China, and Russia\u2014all increased their military spending.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, 2024, is on pace to be another record year for military spending worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And for next year, fiscal year 2025, President Biden has requested a 4.1 percent increase in the military budget over fiscal year 2023, according to the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, it\u2019s a challenge to arrive at, or even agree on, a total dollar figure for annual US military spending. The Congressional Budget Office says that \u201cabout one-sixth of federal spending goes to national defense.\u201d The War Resisters League\u2014a 100-year-old peace organization famous for publishing annual pie charts titled \u201cWhere Your Income Tax Money Really Goes\u201d\u2014says a much larger slice of the federal pie is spent on the military.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"444\" height=\"704\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/military-spending.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4666\" style=\"width:416px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/military-spending.jpg 444w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/military-spending-189x300.jpg 189w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some spending appears in the federal budget in ways that obscure its relationship to the military. Citing figures from the <em>Analytical Perspectives<\/em> book of the <em>Budget of the United States Government<\/em>, the War Resisters League adds together both \u201cpast military\u201d and \u201ccurrent military\u201d to arrive at the total figure of $2.297 trillion in US federal military-related expenditures for fiscal year 2024. Excluding from the federal operating budget trust funds like Social Security, the War Resisters League says this comes to 43 percent of total outlays of US federal funds in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The War Resisters League accounting for 2024 includes in the current year\u2019s spending on \u201cpast military\u201d the veterans\u2019 benefits of $320 billion, plus the 80 percent of the interest on the national debt that was created by the military, estimated at $806 billion. Included in the $1.171 trillion \u201ccurrent military\u201d expenditures for 2024 are\u2014in addition to the Department of Defense\u2019s $862 billion\u2014also the military portion of other departmental budgets such as the Department of Energy\u2019s nuclear weapons, NASA\u2019s military spending, international security assistance, military expenditures by Homeland Security and the State Department, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make a true accounting more difficult, US military aid to other nations often is approved as \u201csupplemental appropriations.\u201d Recent examples are the $60.8 billion for Ukraine and $26.3 billion for Israel (which included money for humanitarian aid for Gaza) approved in April by Congress as separate legislation, and also separate from the Pentagon budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, there is the $3.8 billion annual military funding given by the US to Israel in an agreement made by President Obama that will continue through 2029, according to the War Resisters League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/US-military-bases-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"World map with colors showing where there are U.S. military bases.\" class=\"wp-image-4667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/US-military-bases-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/US-military-bases-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/US-military-bases-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/US-military-bases-848x444.jpg 848w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/US-military-bases-560x293.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/US-military-bases.jpg 1040w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Maintaining bases and military installations in more than 90 countries and territories around the world accounts for a sizeable portion of US military expenditures. Most are a collaboration between the US and the host government, and a number in Europe are part of NATO. Some US military installations are very small, such as a communications facility with fewer than a handful of staff. Others are very large, with thousands of troops and personnel. Some are used only by US troops, some are also used by the host country\u2019s military, and some are used by the US to train the host military. Source: World Beyond War.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In a process related to the supplemental appropriation for Ukraine, \u201cthe US will purchase the weapons from defense contractors before sending to Ukraine,\u201d reports <em>The Hill<\/em>. Which brings up a couple of the many questions that can be asked: Who does the money actually go to? How is it accounted for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In recent years, one-third to one-half of spending by the Pentagon has gone to federal military contractors and weapons manufacturers. \u201cA large portion of these contracts . . . have gone to just five major corporations: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Raytheon [now RTX], and Northrop Grumman,\u201d according to a \u201cCosts of War\u201d analysis in 2021 by Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. \u201cThe $75 billion in Pentagon contracts received by Lockheed Martin in fiscal year 2020 is well over one and one-half times the entire budget for the State Department and Agency for International Development for that year, which totaled $44 billion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2023, an in-depth investigation by <em>60 Minutes<\/em> found &#8220;what can only be described as price gouging by US defense contractors,&#8221; reported CBS News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compounding these questions is the fact that the Department of Defense has failed its annual audit for six years in a row\u2014ever since 2018, when it was first required to do an audit. &#8220;The 2023 audit was only able to account for half of the Department\u2019s $3.8 trillion in assets\u2014leaving $1.9 trillion in unaccounted assets\u2014more than the entire discretionary budget Congress passes every year,\u201d said a press release from the House Budget Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s wrong with spending so much on war? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Objections from religious and humanitarian groups range from the moral to the practical. &#8220;The Federal Budget is a moral document outlining what we as a nation choose to invest in, and these investments will affect individuals and communities across the country,\u201d says CHN. When more and more of the financial pie is spent on the military, less and less is available for basic human needs and a healthy environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The military has a very negative impact on the environment and climate. Reuters reports that militaries are &#8220;among the world&#8217;s biggest consumers of fuel&#8221; and &#8220;account for 5.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions,&#8221; citing a 2022 study by Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Conflict and Environment Observatory. &#8220;Around 60 percent of all global GHG emissions come from just 10 countries,&#8221; says the study. \u201cThese are China, the USA, India, Indonesia, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Iran, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. All of these\u2014except Indonesia\u2014are among the top 20 countries in terms of their military expenditure.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Church of the Brethren&#8217;s strong statements against war are founded in our discipleship to Jesus Christ, and in a clear understanding of the terrible nature of war. Some trace this understanding to the historical Brethren identity that emerged in central Europe in the aftermath of the Thirty Years War, in which more than eight million people died from violence, famine, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most important of our church statements, made in 1970, says, \u201cThe Church of the Brethren has always believed that peace is the will of God. In the two and one-half centuries of its history it has come to understand more clearly the tremendous evil which war brings upon human beings and their society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"card military-spending-card-background mb-3\">\n  <div class=\"card-header\"><h2>Mapping militarism<\/h2><\/div>\n  <div class=\"card-body\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/worldbeyondwar.org\/militarism-mapped\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Beyond War has posted a set of maps<\/a> where visitors can view the world according to a variety of categories including total military spending and spending per capita; which countries are selling, buying, or financing weapons; wars, troop placements, and drone and air strikes. The category \u201cUS Empire\u201d displays countries that have US and NATO bases and US troops, and where US wars and military interventions have taken place since 1945. A category called \u201cPromotes peace and security\u201d shows which countries stand by various treaties and international measures to prevent war.\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sources: Budget of the United States Government, CBS News, Coalition on Human Needs, Conflict and Environment Observatory, Congressional Budget Office, Defense News, The Guardian, The Hill, National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, Reuters, Scientists for Global Responsibility, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), War Resisters League, The Washington Post, Watson Institute International and Public Affairs at Brown University, World Beyond War<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year, the United States spends vast sums on war and the military. Learn  more about it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[107,604,283,605,414],"class_list":["post-4664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cheryl-brumbaugh-cayford","tag-military-spending","tag-peace","tag-united-states","tag-war"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4664"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4675,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4664\/revisions\/4675"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}