The Militarization of America Who Wins, Who Loses?

1. The Militarization of AmericaWho Wins, Who Loses? Prepared by Fund Our Communities Bring the War Dollars Home Of Maryland WITH INPUT FROM Oregon Peaceworks http://ourfunds.org www.oregonpeaceworks.org

2. How Much Do We Spend on the Military?

3. U.S. Federal Budget FY 2012Discretionary Budget Source: War Resisters League, https://www.warresisters.org/sites/default/files/FY2012piechart-color.pdf

4. U.S. Federal Budget FY 2012“Unified” Budget The Government’s Version This is How They Do It Source: War Resisters League

5. Obama Budget Proposal FY 2013 Source: OMB via National Priorities Project

6. Obama Budget Proposal FY 2013 Source: OMB via National Priorities Project

7. Obama Budget Proposal FY 2013 Source: OMB via National Priorities Project

9. Let’s Get a Feel for These Numbers

10. Pentagon vs. NIH Spending

11. U.S. Military Spending vs. Other Countries, In Rank Order, FY 2010 Billions of Dollars Source: Computed from SIPRI

12. Top 10 Defense Budgets and How They Compare - Source: The International Institute for Strategic Studies

13. Defense Expenditures Per Capita, 2008 Source: Friedman and Preble

14. Where Does the Money Go? • Pentagon Spending • War costs • Foreign military bases • War profiteers

15. DOD, 2001-2012In billions of current dollars 800 600 400 200 War Funding Base Budget 2001 2006 2012 Source: Center for Arms Control and Non-Proflieration

16. What’s in the “Military Budget?” Source: War Resisters League

17. Where Does the Money Go? • Pentagon Spending • War costs • Foreign military bases • War profiteers

18. War CostsIraq and Afghanistan Through 2011 Total direct cost of both wars: $1.26 trillion Iraq: $797 billion Af/Pak: $460 billion Total: $1.26 trillion Source: National Priorities Project

19. Afghanistan War vs. World Military Spending In 2011, the United States spent more on the war in Afghanistan than any other country in the world spent in total on its military. Billions of Dollars, 2011 Source: Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation; Reuters

20. Afghanistan War Costs Estimated U.S. spending in Afghanistan, FY 2011: $122 billion. Total state budget shortfalls, 2011: $112 billion 2010 escalation: $33 bn = 600,000 U.S. jobs Source: Congressional Research Service Report RL 33110

21. Total Estimated Costs of Iraq & Afghanistan: $4 to $6 Trillion With $3.5 trillion, we could send every 18-year-old in the U.S. to a state university. We could pay all their education expenses -- tuition, fees, room and board -- for four years , for the next 133 years.

22. Where Does the Money Go? • Pentagon Spending • War costs • Foreign military bases • War profiteers

23. U.S. Foreign Military Bases • The U.S. maintains about 1,000 foreign military bases. • Foreign bases cost taxpayers about $250 billion per year. Bagram Military Air Base in Afghanistan Source: Foreign Policy in Focus, Anita Dancs

25. Military Bases as the New Imperialism 95% of all the military bases on another country’s soil are U.S. bases. “Once upon a time, you could trace the spread of imperialism by counting up colonies. America's version of the colony is the military base.” Chalmers Johnson, 2004 Source: Chalmers Johnson

26. Foreign Bases: A Provocation The Declaration of Independence criticizes the British “for quartering large bodies of armed troops among us” and “for protecting them . . . from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these States.” Foreign bases create enemies and make us less safe.

27. Where Does the Money Go? • Pentagon Spending • War costs • Foreign military bases • War profiteers

28. War ProfiteersExample: Lockheed Martin • Percent of L/M profits derived directly from US tax payers, 2010 84% • Amount of tax-payer money listed as profit, 2010 $3.2 billion • Total compensation of Lockheed Martin CEO, 2011 $21.9 million Sources: Forbes; Y Charts; LM Company Statements;

29. Lockheed Martin: Getting the Money • Former Lockheed VP Bruce Jackson chaired the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (2002-03)—most influential lobby group for the Iraq war • 2010: Military contractors employed 682 “revolving door” hires in 2010 – individuals who oversaw arms companies while in government and then went on to work for those same firms. Source: Hartung & Ciarrocca

30. Getting the Money Geographic distribution of subcontractors “The ideal weapons system is built in 435 Congressional districts and it doesn’t matter whether it works or not.” Alain C. Enthoven, economist and former Pentagon official In 2009, Lockheed Martin placed full-page ads in the Washington Post showing the number of jobs for F-22 construction, by Congressional district, throughout the nation.

31. Lockheed MartinGetting the Money • Political donations, 2010 cycle: $2.8 million 2012 cycle: $1.6 million(from L/M PACs and individuals, per FEC) • Paid lobbying, 2011: $15 million • Political donations to Barack Obama in 2011-12: $14,683 (also $15,966 to Ron Paul!) • Total to Congressional incumbents, 2012 cycle: $1,411,972 Source: Open Secrets

32. What Do Military Contractors Do? • Feed troops • Maintain facilities and equipment • Transport cargo • Wash clothes • Provide security guards for bases and diplomats • Engage in military actions Contractors are doing everything that used to be done solely by the military—for a profit.

33. Contractors vs. Troops in Afghanistan Source: Congressional Research Service

34. Outsourcing the Military What are the implications?

35. Outsourcing the Military • Powerful companies promote war because it is profitable • The profit motive, in war, can be counter-productive • Oversight of contractors is negligible and contractors often do poor jobs • Most common type of contracts (cost-plus) encourage waste and unnecessary spending

37. What Does the Militarization of America Cost the Us? • Macro Economic Costs • Environmental Costs • Costs to Democracy

38. A Weaker Economy Increased spending on the military relative to other parts of the economy leads to : • Fewer jobs • Higher interest rates • Greater inflation Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research

39. The Pentagon is Taking Your Job!War is a Lousy Jobs Project U.S. Job Creation with $1 Billion Spending Number of Jobs Created Education Health Care Clean Energy Consumption Military Source: U of MA, Political Economy Research Institute

40. What Does the Militarization of America Cost Us? • Macro Economic Costs • Environmental Costs • Cost to Democracy

41. Environmental Costs • The U.S. military is the biggest polluter in the world, generating an estimated 750,000 tons of toxic waste every year. • The military burns an estimated 20 million gallons of gasoline daily—about the same as the entire country of Iran. • The military writes its Status of Forces Agreements to exempt the U.S. from responsibility for cleaning up environmental damage. Sources: Graydon Carter; Barry Sanders

42. What Does the Militarization of America Cost Us? • Macro Economic Costs • Environmental Costs • Costs to Democracy

43. Threat to Democracy • Militarism restricts freedom at home • Militarism brings immense amounts of money into the political system, which corrupts it

44. Example: MoCo Peace Resolution “The County Council urges the United States Congress to make major reductions in the Pentagon budget, in a manner that does not harm the safety or lives of our troops, with the savings invested in state and local needs so that Montgomery County and other counties in Maryland can repair their deteriorating infrastructure, reverse budget cuts to education, health care, and other needs, and otherwise improve the welfare of their residents.”

45. What Happened? • Lockheed Martin lobbyists called around! • 2 of 5 supporters dropped off—resolution withdrawn

46. Threats to Democracy In what other ways can militarism threaten democracy?

47. Other Threats to Democracy from Militarism • Militarism erodes fundamental rights • Legalization of torture • Kangaroo courts under Military Commissions Act • Loss of habeas corpus under NDAA • Demonizes certain citizens who lose basic rights • Japanese • Arabs • Muslims • Leads to secrecy -- incompatible with democracy e.g. Patriot Act

48. Other Threats to Democracy from Militarism • Expands government surveillance of citizens • Putting peace people on terrorist lists • Arresting peace activists & impounding equipment • Leads to powerful secret paramilitary organizations, illegal actions by government—destroying the rule of law • e.g. CIA, Delta Force

49. Threat to Democracy Of all the enemies to public liberty war is . . . most to be dreaded because it comprises . . . the germ of every other. . . No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare. James Madison