Something is out of whack with the editorial "Defense Overhaul Is Overdue" (AW&ST Aug. 23/30, p. 74). It begins with a chart showing defense spending in 2005 dollars, implying that the U.S. has with its current wars approached World War II spending levels. This is so only if you think it is appropriate to ignore the fact that $800-plus-billion in 1945 represented 40%-plus of the gross domestic produc and produced 12 million soldiers whilernthe same amount today is only 4.5% of GDP and buys a quite different and still very powerful military. When you do get around to a GDP comparison, it's wrong. Today's GDP investment in defense is more like a quarter of the GDP investment of the Korean War period, not half.
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