Reimagining U.S. Security Spending for the 21st Century & Beyond

Bottom Line: The biggest threats the United States faces today do not have military solutions. To address these problems, policymakers must redesign defense and security spending to address these issues, rather than funding outdated tools of war. 

U.S. security spending has ballooned in recent years. 

Currently, the United States spends over $1.2 trillion on security spending across government agencies. This includes spending on homeland security and global engagement. The U.S. spends more on the military today than it did in Korea and Vietnam -- even after adjusting for inflation. 

The bulk of this spending does not keep Americans safe. 

Much of this goes to funding endless wars, building unnecessary military bases, and paying defense contractors -- including the salaries of the CEOs of the top 10 defense companies, who earned a combined $160 million in 2016. The U.S. spends more on security than the next seven countries combined. 

Restructuring federal spending will force policymakers to adjust their priorities.

Currently, “Billions of dollars are being spent to maintain the militarized status quo,” as the Pentagon remains the only federal agency to never pass an audit. Reducing the Pentagon’s budget by up to $3.5 trillion over a decade will force the military to act strategically and only when absolutely necessary.

Rather than continue to fund endless military efforts, policymakers could double the State Department’s budget, in an effort to rebuild U.S. diplomacy. Washington could then focus on actual national security threats, like the rise of global authoritarianism, mass inequality, and climate change -- three defining issues of our day that lack a clear military solution.

Read the full study here.