U.S. Highest Defense Spender: Budget Eight Times that of Russia's
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 27, 2010
Budget Eight Times that of Russia's
Washington, D.C. – A new report from the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation finds that the United States remains the global leader in defense spending, surpassing the next closest country by more than eight times.
In 2008, the most recent year for which complete global data is available, the U.S. approved $696.3 billion in defense budget authority, (after adjusting for inflation). This figure includes the Pentagon base budget, Department of Energy-administered nuclear weapons activities, and supplemental appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan.
This total is eight times more than Russia, 15 times more than Japan, 47 times more than Israel, and nearly 73 times more than Iran.
“Examples of wasteful spending span every branch of the Department of Defense,” said Laicie Olson, a defense spending analyst at the Center. “At a time of growing concern over the federal deficit, it is increasingly important that all parts of the budget be scrutinized. Defense is no exception.”
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has called for the elimination of wasteful and ineffective defense systems as recently as May 4 when he delivered a fiery speech aimed at overhauling the Pentagon’s budget and restructuring its bureaucracy. “It is not a great mystery what needs to change,” Gates said. “What it takes is the political will and willingness, as Eisenhower possessed, to make hard choices — choices that will displease powerful people both inside the Pentagon and out.”
In inflation-adjusted dollars, the total U.S. defense budget has grown from $432 billion in fiscal 2001 to $720 billion in fiscal 2011, a real increase of approximately 67 percent. The Congressional Budget Office has regularly warned that discretionary spending, including defense, will come under increased pressure in the coming years.
Find the Center’s latest report on U.S. vs. Global Defense Spending on our website here.
The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation is one of the nation’s oldest and largest organizations dedicated to reducing and eventually eliminating nuclear weapons.
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