Why the U.S. can’t afford its military
By SHAUN WATERMAN, UPI Homeland and National Security EditorPublished: Feb. 11, 2009 at 11:10 AMWASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) –
With the combined cost of the economic stimulus package and the Wall Street bailout now projected by some estimates to top $2 trillion, and the federal deficit spiraling, U.S. officials are fretting that current levels of defense spending may be unsustainable.
Moreover, military leaders argue that they will need more money in future years to repair or replace equipment worn out or destroyed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; transform the force to fight modern wars; and invest in new generations of high-tech weaponry.
“The spigot of defense spending that opened on Sept. 11 is closing,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a hearing last month of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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