The U.S. Military Budget Is Bigger Than the 10 Next Biggest Military Budgets Combined

Next week, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to present a military budget that will reduce the size of the Army to pre-9-11 levels and end service on several elderly weapons programs, including the A-10 and the U-2 spy plane. If enacted, the plan would trim military spending by about $75 billion over two years. Defense Department officials are already suggesting that the budget trimming is potentially risky, and the move is likely to generate pushback from hawkish Republicans.

It's important to put this in context. There's simply no international rival that spends even close to as much money on its military as America does. As this graph from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation shows, the U.S. already spends more on defense than the next 10 countries combined:

Peter G. Peterson Foundation

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