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Effectiveness

Spending Smarter, Spending Less: Opportunities to Reduce Excessive Pentagon Spending

By Mandy Smithberger | Filed under resource | May 15, 2019

At $716 billion, last year’s budget for the Pentagon and related agencies was one of the highest since World War II. Yet, as former Defense Secretary Robert Gates once said, “If the Department of Defense can’t figure out a way to defend the United States on a budget of more than half a trillion dollars a year, then our problems are much bigger than anything that can be cured by a few more ships and planes.” Below is a list of opportunities for savings that could significantly reduce spending by $199 billion without undermining national security or capabilities. All numbers listed represent one-year savings.

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Center for Defense Information

The Center for Defense Information at POGO aims to secure far more effective and ethical military forces at significantly lower cost.

Author

  • Author

    Mandy Smithberger

    Mandy Smithberger is the Director of the Center for Defense Information at POGO.

Related Tags

    Effectiveness National Security Pentagon Budget Weapon Systems Nuclear Weapons Nuclear Weapons Complex

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