Why Does the US Military Budget Continue to Rise?

FEATURING WILLIAM HARTUNG – As the latest National Defense Authorization Act gave the US military yet another financial boost with bi-partisan support, there was little if any questioning over the spending of taxpayer funds on the Pentagon. Any discussion of human needs like healthcare or education elicits the question, “but how will we pay for it?” When discussing the Pentagon’s needs, there is no such concern. Having studied the US military for decades my guest today shares some of his reflections on this critical question.

Read Hartung’s piece on Tom Dispatch HERE.

William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy and a senior adviser to the center’s Security Assistance Monitor. He is also the author of Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex. He writes regularly for Tom Dispatch and his latest piece is called Lessons From Battling the Pentagon for Four Decades.