The United States in its 243 years has been involved in war(s)
for 226 of those years.[1]
However, being involved in a war does not mean that the country itself is at
war. Currently the United States is involved in multiple conflicts due to the
country’s War on Terror. Some of the War of Terror parts have concluded while
these seven are ongoing: War in Afghanistan, the War in North-West Pakistan, Second
U.S. Intervention in the Somali Civil War , American-led Intervention in Iraq, American-led
Intervention in Syria, Yemeni Civil War, and American Intervention in Libya. The
definition of when the US is at war has contributed to the debate over the size
of the defense budget.
Congress approved a 738-billion-dollar defense budget for
the 2020 fiscal year. The last declared war the United States was involved in
was World War II. During those years, 1940-1948, the budget at its peak was $82.965
billion in 1945. The current claim that 2019 has the largest defense budget is
grossly incorrect. While conflating the 1945 budget using the inflation rate
the budget is equivalent in 2019 to $1.18551454
trillion dollars.[2] This
inflation comparisons shows that even though the budget sounds astronomically larger
than past budgets it is not. Furthermore, it brings to question how the United
States is prepared to fund, hypothetically, a war the country as a whole would
be involved into the degree of World War II. Current conflict that the United
States’ is involved with does not threaten the security of the its homeland. If
the country was to become involved with a war of that magnitude how could the
country feasible afford it? Other rising powers, such as China, continually increased
its budget year to year to advance its military and defense systems. Though the
China 2018 defense budget was $175 billion dollars in China the dollar can buy
more than in the United States. Their 175-billion-dollar budget is equivalent to
1.11-trillion-yuan and was the country’s largest defense budget to date. With
countries trying to surpass the United States’ military capabilities will the budget
continue to exponentially grow to a point where the United states will not be
able to support it in “peace times” much less during war times.
[1] https://www.globalresearch.ca/america-has-been-at-war-93-of-the-time-222-out-of-239-years-since-1776/5565946
I projected upon this article since
it was originally published in February of 2015.
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