Inevitably citing statistics to the effect that America spends more money on its military than the next ten nations combined, Sanders argues that his programs can be paid for, in part, with large defense cuts. Is that a good idea?
It is important to realize that the statistics are a little bit misleading; the defense budget is driven up by the needs of an all-volunteer army and, of course, soaring health care costs. As a result, per capita, we have to spend a lot more than the Russians and the Chinese for a similar product.
The bigger issue, however, is whether it makes sense to slash the military at a time when the Russians and Chinese are looking more and more threatening, and wars with Iran and North Korea could be just around the corner. The good guys need an army, too, and the EU certainly isn’t going to provide one. Yes, we need to put more effort and resources into diplomacy, but diplomacy without an effective military isn’t going to deter Putin or Kim.
Defense improvements, certainly. Nibbles, maybe. Large cuts–now is not the time.