The Biden administration’s proposal for Fiscal Year 2023 of $813 billion for national defense is far higher than the peaks of the Korean or Vietnam Wars, and is well over $100 billion more than at the height of the Cold War. And if hawks in Congress have their way, these staggering figures could be increased by an additional $50 to $100 billion.
Rather than being based on a carefully considered assessment of U.S. security interests, these enormous sums for the Pentagon are driven by a misguided defense strategy that seeks global military primacy; pork barrel politics and corporate influence over members of Congress with military factories or bases in their states or districts; and waste, fraud and abuse in the expenditure of defense dollars.
This Quincy Institute panel analyzes the factors behind overspending on the Pentagon and propose reforms that can make America and the world safer at a considerably lower cost. The discussion features the following experts:
Dr. Gordon Adams is a Distinguished Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute, Professor Emeritus of International Relations at American University’s School of International Service, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center. Shailly Gupta Barnes is the Policy Director for the Kairos Center and the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. She has a background in law, economics and human rights and has spent over 15 years working with and for poor and dispossessed communities. Julia Gledhill is an analyst in the Center for Defense Information at POGO. She conducts research to expose government waste, corruption, and wrongdoing, with specific focus on the Department of Defense. William D. Hartung is a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. His work focuses on the arms industry and U.S. military budget.