Defense Budget

War may be hell, but it also doesn’t come cheap and it is time that the US taxpayer begin to question what he is getting for his money. Napoleon once famously said that an army travels on its stomach. He meant that feeding and supplying an army so that it would arrive to do battle in good condition were keys to victory.

Last week Congress passed the war supplemental appropriations bill. In an affront to all those who thought they voted for a peace candidate, the current president will be sending another $106 billion we don’t have to continue the bloodshed in Afghanistan and Iraq, without a hint of a plan to bring our troops home.

One of the unique pleasures of living near our nation’s capital is to sit down with the first morning cup of coffee, open the Washington Post, and flip through the full-page ads placed by defense contractors. The ads almost always feature dedicated young soldiers, fierce bald eagles, and American flags.

In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee this morning, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made clear that the era of defense spending largesse is over. “The spigot of defense funding opened by 9/11 is closing.

For those who watch the money, there was one persistent theme through the lightly-attended confirmation hearing for the new Pentagon leadership team: the money pool will shrink and the military must improve how well it develops and buys weapons.

The Republican Party is a wreck. The election was not quite as catastrophic as predicted—though if the Democrats take the two GOP Senate seats still at risk, things couldn’t have turned out much worse. Continuing on its present course obviously is no option.

So far most of the talk about the next Pentagon budget has been relatively optimistic and cautious. The Gates Pentagon clearly believes it must maintain spending at or above current levels to support forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and buy weapons for future conflicts.

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- Yes, America's economy is a war economy. Not a "manufacturing" economy. Not an "agricultural" economy. Nor a "service" economy. Not even a "consumer" economy.

Dunkin’ Donuts received $22 million in federal loans to safeguard its assets against terrorism. Augusta, Georgia, received $3 million to protect its fire hydrants against terrorist tampering. Veterinary schools have called for a four-fold increase in funding to fight hoof-and-mouth disease spread by future terrorists.