why is the US spending so much on the military?

Question

lets set iraq aside.

terrorism is a people problem, F18s and tanks are not the way to fight terrorism. infiltrating terrorist cells is how to defeat them, yet the US has to date discharged over 55 arab translators because they were suspected of being gay.....this policy is counterproductive.

if we are going to spend so much on the military the gov should at least announce what country we are planning to invade with our money

Answer 1

It is NOT. Low ranking enlisted men and women are so badly paid that their families can get food stamps.

All the money is going to Halliburton and other friends of Cheney and Bush.

Sad, really. "Support our Troops" should mean giving the troops and their dependents and survivors more money, not giving them more toys.

Funnily enough, the military atmosphere is so right-wing that the soldiers whose families are starving are . . . voting right-wing! Only in the USA do so many people vote against their own interests.

Answer 2

In 0ne of his audiotape which was released on January 19th, Osama ben Laden had declared: "If you [Americans] are sincere in your desire for peace and security, we have answered you. And if Bush decides to carry on with his lies and oppression, then it would be useful for you to read the book Rogue State', which states in its introduction ... " He then goes on to quote the opening of a paragraph (which appears actually in the Foreword of the British edition only, that was later translated to Arabic), which in full reads:
"If I were the president, I could stop terrorist attacks against the United States in a few days. Permanently. I would first apologize -- very publicly and very sincerely -- to all the widows and the orphans, the impoverished and the tortured, and all the many millions of other victims of American imperialism.

I would then announce that America's global interventions -- including the awful bombings -- have come to an end. And I would inform Israel that it is no longer the 51st state of the union but -oddly enough - a foreign country. I would then reduce the military budget by at least 90% and use the savings to pay reparations to the victims and repair the damage from the many American bombings and invasions. There would be more than enough money. Do you know what one year of the US military budget is equal to? One year. It's equal to more than $20,000 per hour for every hour since Jesus Christ was born.
"That's what I'd do on my first three days in the White House. On the fourth day, I'd be assassinated."

Answer 3

Remember that there are other countries in the world besides the ones we are currently focused on - take a look at North Korea, China, and Iran. These countries have well-developed militaries with modern air, armor, and naval assets. While a portion of the U.S. budget does go to what you're referring to - infiltration and extermination of terrorist cells - a large portion must maintain the U.S. conventional military in case of an attack by another modern military.

As to discharges due to personal choices, that's another topic.

Answer 4

The gay military policy doesn't make since. But as the number 1 super power it takes a great deal of resources to maintain that status. And for the record the military does announce what county will be invaded.

Answer 5

Well , when the call comes towar which is going to be soon, then they will take whoever they can get I'm sure. but if they force women into the draft then we are in trouble.
We all know what is going down, we don't need to wait for an announcement, we know.

Answer 6

Honestly...the only way to defend oneself in todays world with todays people is to have bigger bombs than everyone else....I hate to say that but it is true.....why do you think that no one has tried to invade us yet....or bring on a full out attack....we have the strongest military right now....or at least the perception of that is there.....that is just the world we live in.....I wish it were different.

Answer 7

military spending is the only export the u.s. has. if they don't spend billions on tanks, bombs, guns, and planes, the economy would collapse. and when you build those things you need to use them.
i agree that the answer is good old fashioned undercover work. that's how the brits uncovered the most recent plane plot. they didn't shoot or explode anyone. and no tanks or f-18s were needed. just good old police work.

Answer 8

See Eisenhower's comments about the military-industrial complex.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military-industrial_complex

Answer 9

first of all, you're naive if you think we arent infiltrating terrorist cells.

Secondly, we spend so much on the military because it is crucial to the defense of our nation and our interests abroad.

Answer 10

O.K.
By the way , I'm coming to your place tonight .
I'm going to commit crimes on your person.
You are warned , so you can be waiting to kill me .

Announce ahead of time ?
Yeah , right !!