Josiah Garcia Garcia 1

Mrs. Johnson

Acc. English 9

14 April 2023

Should Military Spending in the U.S. increase or decrease

Imagine a small town in the heart of America where a young boy named Jack lived with his

family. Jack's father served in the military and was deployed overseas for several years. During

his father's absence, Jack's family struggled to procure everyday needs. They had to rely on food

stamps and other government assistance programs just to put food on the table. It was an onerous

experience for Jack. Citizens’ concerns rose when they see more and more families in this

situation inside of small and poor towns of the United States. Military spending should be

decreased in the United States for multiple reasons.

Reducing military spending in the U.S. could free up funds for other important areas such

as education, healthcare, and infrastructure. One piece of evidence of military spending causing

harm is that some governments spend more on military expenditure and only paying a pittance to

social development, communications infrastructure, and health combined. The United States

spends the most amount of money in the Department of Defensing than any other country in the

world which is about 800 billion dollars. Another piece of evidence is that taxpayers spent

$13.34 trillion on the U.S. military from 2000 through fiscal year 2019 in inflation-adjusted 2020

dollars, which is way more that they spent on than other necessaries such as education, health,

clean environment, etc.

 Garcia 2

An increase in military spending in the U.S. can have harmful effects both domestically

and internationally. According to Roth. R. Theodore, domestically, an increase in military

spending can divert resources away from critical social programs such as healthcare, education,

and infrastructure that can cause a deleterious environment. This can leave citizens without

access to basic needs and exacerbate existing inequality. This proves if the United States

continue to spend more money into their militaries, then it will cause harm to the citizens.

Additionally, an increase in military spending can lead to a militarized police force and an

erosion of civil liberties. Also, Theodore states “internationally, an increase in military spending

can lead to an arms race and increase tensions between countries, potentially leading to conflicts

and wars.” It can also harm the image of the U.S. as a global leader and undermine.

However, some people may argue that increasing military spending is necessary to

maintain national security and protect against potential threats. They may also argue that a strong

military can cause aggression from other countries and promote stability in regions of conflict.

Additionally, military spending can stimulate economic growth by creating jobs and supporting

industries that supply the military.

Decreasing military spending in the United States can save lives. First, decreasing

military spending allows more money to be put into other things such as health care, schools, and

infrastructure. Then Finally, It will palliate the stress people will have about their finical

problems. Decreasing military spendings will result in a better environment for the poor parts of

the United States.

 Garcia 3

Work Cited

Roth. R. Therodore. “The Impact of Decreased Defense spending on Employment in the United

States.” Armed Forces & Society,

Spring92, vol. 18, no.3, p383-405. 23p, four charts. Academic Search Premier, doi:

10.1177/0095327X9201800305. Accessed 11 April 2023

Korotkin, Arnold. “Impact of Military Spending on the Nation’s Quality of Life.” Social work,

vol. 30, no. 4, p369-372. 4p. Academic Search Premier, doi: 10.1093/sw/30.4.369.

Accessed 11 April 20236ytttttttttttt