* The US spends more on its military than the next nine countries combined.
* The defense budget is bloated and includes plenty of money that could be better used elsewhere.
* During a national pandemic, it is unconscionable that this money isn't being spent on Americans in need.
* Savannah Wooten is an activist and nonprofit professional.
* This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
The US is, quite literally, addicted to war. While it's no secret that the country has a long history of militarism, the sheer scale of the ongoing excess is staggering. Yet the tide may finally be turning, as Americans begin to take hawkish lawmakers to task for their defense industry contributions and unfettered support for costly forever wars.
As our leaders continue to mismanage the COVID-19 crisis, it's become clear that the nation has abjectly failed to prepare for one of the most severe national security threats of our lifetimes. And it calls into question just how necessary two decades of massive defense spending increases were when the government has proven ineffective against the most deadly threat the country has faced in that time.
US warfighting since 9/11 has cost $6.4 trillion, 770,000 lives, and counting. We spend more on our military than the next nine countries combined. Every year, Congress authorizes hundreds of billions of dollars for the Pentagon, consuming most of our discretionary budget that could otherwise fund programs that meet Americans' needs.
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WNU Editor: I have lost count over the years on how many opinion posts and commentaries that I have read predicting that the US defense budget is going to be cut. It never happens. And with so many invested in the Pentagon budget to continue to grow, I just do not see it happening anytime soon.
