Is America’s military budget too large? 

The Student Subjectives series is a continuation of a recurring Witherly Heights feature displaying Alsion Students’ takes on a variety of policy topics. Its structure is pretty straightforward : we’ll talk about the thoughts of people who said both YES and NO to the topic and do a little analysis on the arguments and then we’ll conclude with a thought provoking meta thought that leaves you with something to think about. Anyways, for this week, we examine the topic: “Is America’s Military Budget Too Large?“

By: Anushree Samsi

According to the Peterson Foundation, the United States (US) spent 877 billion dollars on military spending in 2022, an increase by 71 billion from 2021 in part due to aid sent because of the war in Ukraine. This budget is more than the next 10 highest spenders combined with one of the biggest US competitors, China, reportedly spending RMB 1.55 trillion ($224.8 billion). The key questions on both sides of the debate are pretty clear. If we were to cut this spending, where would we propose tradeoffs and budget trims come from? And, if we were to keep this spending, how would we justify it when domestic issues are rampant in the country? Let’s hear the key takeaways from talking to Alsion Students ranging from 7th grade to 12th grade! 

1. A lot of YES

The main takeaway was that the majority of students advocated for shrinking the current budget. Several reasons were cited for this, but they all fell under 3 main buckets:

1. Transparency

Student’s felt that the current system did not hold the government and military accountable to citizens. This was because of a lack of information about how the military is using the budget and concerns over the potential for misuse given the amount of money. Enough people are aware that America has a large budget and a dominant military but not as many are familiar with the specifics. Given the fact that a large percentage of tax dollars are going towards this cause, directly trading off with domestic spending, citizens should have a right to have greater visibility. 

2. Weaponary

Students argued that our spending on weaponry development, like nuclear capabilities , and international bases is excessive. Many said that the US too often meddles in international issues and conflicts that they shouldn’t be in while others commented that regardless of an ongoing international conflict, the US finds ways to expand budgetary capacity endlessly. 

3. Investment 

Most comments were focused on how this budget could be reallocated to have greater impact. Students presented a variety of investment scenarios. Some discussed underfunding in healthcare and education while others argued that scaling back these operations would allow for greater spending on veterans which is a huge shortcoming of the military program right now.  

2. Who said NO?

While vastly in the minority, a few people did say NO. Two main ideas came up:

1. Military Dominance

One student’s reason was that we shouldn’t cut our budget “because we are winning.” While the student was unsure of the specifics behind this comment, the idea I took away was that America has had military dominance for a significant part of recent history. How would scaling back the budget affect the way other countries perceive the US? Is that potentially dangerous for national security? An article by Foreign Policy explained that even though China might spend less on paper, the resources they get for the same amount of money is significantly more. They therefore found that when adjusting for purchasing power, China’s military spending is increasingly rivaling the US. Thus, does it make sense to scale back the military as China becomes more assertive in that realm?

2. Scientific Research

Another student brought up the point that development in the military contributes to scientific achievement and research. The way the military collaborates with other countries and enters new regions can shape our understanding of them. So, how might scaling back the budget affect the non-defense related operations? Would this be the first place they cut from? 

3. Meta Thought: Analyzing the Question and Survey Participants

Student subjectives are an interesting way of gaining insight into how students think. But, how do you decide the right question and how do you assess students’ answers? 

1. When surveying students, I realized that many people simply didn’t have an opinion on the topic, or didn’t ever think about the topic. There’s a really vast spectrum of people who are invested in the way the government spends our tax dollars and then there’s a whole other cohort who probably won’t engage until they actually have to pay taxes. How do you balance these informed vs uninformed answers? 
2. My initial thought was that: “people are affected by this every day, they will probably have something to say” but at the end of the day most peoples opinions were either what their friends thought or a comment that sounded good and probably could be supported even though they themselves had no evidence to support their claim. For example, someone’s argument that there is a lack of transparency around governmental policy could just be because they have never meaningfully engaged in it till answering that question, not that resources don’t exist. Does a student subjective just need to be an opinion or does it need to be fact supported?
3. It was really easy for people to say that the budget was too high when they heard the number (about 95% did), but it was a lot harder for them to explain where commitments should be decreased. To reject policy, do you actually need a viable alternative or is the fact that it doesn’t sound right enough?

These are some things to think about! Next issues’ student subjective will explore another topic and I’m more than sure that there will be some interesting opinions and deeper thoughts too. We’ll also explore whether we can get answers to some of the questions above.