America’s Military Budget Proves that our Government is Incompetent

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

I have no doubt that the brass in the Pentagon is pleased and proud that the government of the United States spends five-times more money on its military budget than all other nations combined. But why does our government continue to raise the Pentagon’s annual budget when it wastes 50 cents of every dollar they receive? (The latter according to several “watchdog groups.”)

We are a nation which is constantly preparing for the next war. However, there are no plans for permanent peace. It is undeniable that if a third World War begins, it will end with the complete destruction of our planet. So, why does our military continue to pay for the manufacture of machines to fight ground wars? Not a single “conventional war” has been fought since WWII. Let me offer one classic example of military waste and plans for spending even more taxpayer dollars on equipment which will likely do nothing but gather dust until a new version comes along.

Our military has about 3,700 Bradley tanks “in use.” “In use” does not refer to service in war zones, but to training facilities across the nation and in limited bases overseas. However, there are at least 2,800 Bradley tanks in warehouses. It is highly unlikely that these war machines will ever be used, and will continue to remain unused for years to come. Wars today take place in jungles, and mountains. We fight the enemy on their terms and on their terrain. Each Bradly tank costs about 3.2 million dollars. However, here’s where the Pentagon wastes even more money.

Although the Bradley tank has been praised for its function, including extraordinary mobility, this is unacceptable to our military leaders. They plan to scrap today’s Bradly tanks and replace them “with the winner of the XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle program.” To place this in terms of wasted dollars, the Pentagon will be discarding 6,500 usable vehicles worth more than $28,800,000,000.

There is no information about what the new armored vehicles will cost taxpayers.

I’ll let you investigate the F-35 fighter/bomber program which continues to have major problems, and therefore has not reached production level. The latest cost estimate has reached a whopping $2 trillion dollars. That’s $2,000,000,000,000.

MILITARY FAILURES DO NOT WARRANT A YEARLY BUDGET OF NEARLY ONE-TRILLION DOLLARS

Since the end of WWII in 1945, our nation has been involved in four military actions which can legitimately be called “wars:” the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, and the Invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. It is fair to say that we lost all four.

The Korean Conflict technically continues. There has not been a formal treaty or any type of binding agreement signed by North and South Korea to end what began over 70 years ago. The United States withdrew its forces in the 1950’s.

In 1975, after 20 years of conflict, America removed the last of its military forces and a few South Vietnamese collaborators in disgrace.

Similarly, the majority of our forces left Iraq on December 15, 2011, eight years after the invasion.

Although it was common knowledge that remaining in Afghanistan was futile, no president had the courage to remove our troops until President Biden on August 30, 2021.

You might remember that when Russia invaded Afghanistan, their leaders had the common sense to abandon their efforts after only 10 years.

Our military failed to accomplish its goals in all four military operations.

WHERE WAS OUR MILITARY ON 9/11 AND JANUARY 6, 2021?

If our military is prepared for any situation, I have two questions: where were they on 9/11 and why did they do nothing when the seat of our democracy was under attack on January 6, 2021?

The Pentagon has four large security agencies at their disposal. How were they not aware of the plan to attack within our shores on September 11, 2001?

I BET YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW THE DEFENSE BUDGET FOR 2024

President Biden and the members of the House and Senate approved a budget of $841.4 billion for the Department of Defense in 2024. In addition, $32.4 billion was approved for national security programs within the Department of Energy (DOE), and $438.0 million in defense-related activities, whatever those might be.

Right-wing politicians would say: “What about social security, which costs more than one-trillion dollars each year?” In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the act which created a retirement fund for all Americans called “social security.” The program was self-sustaining. Both employers and employees paid into the program, and when individuals filed for their benefits, they received a monthly payment based on their income throughout their years of employment and the amount of individual and employer participation.

This requires an answer to this question: “What the hell has congress used my social security funds for other than what was designated by law?”

This is where I once again claim that the federal government of the United States is the most corrupt in the world.

Most importantly, why is our military of greater importance than the people of our nation in the eyes of right-wing politicians? If their goal is not to improve the lives of the people who elected them, they should not be in government at any level.

KAMALA HARRIS WILL PLACE THE GREAT MAJORITY OF OUR NATION’S PEOPLE IN PRIORITY NUMBER ONE

Over the last ten years, yours truly has been clamoring for the election of a woman president. Our nation began 248 years ago, and mostly old, white men have had opportunities to care for our nation’s people. Only FDR spent his entire presidency attempting to improve the quality of life for all Americans.

Kamala Harris is focused on her plans to serve the needs and wishes of the majority. She is aware that America will never be “the greatest country in the world” until all of our nation’s people are treated equally, and the quality of life for every man woman and child offers an opportunity to achieve the American dream.

Donald Trump’s priorities will be, (1) Donald Trump, (2) Donald Trump, and (3) our country’s billionaires and multi-millionaires. He would give additional tax cuts to the super-rich, stand by as the unemployment rate grows, and our national debt rises by trillions of dollars, again.

And, yes, he will sign a huge increase in the military’s annual budget.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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