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US military budget, war funding ‘very disturbing’

Tuesday, 03 February 2015 5:19 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 03 February 2015 5:34 PM ]

EA-6B electronic warfare planes are parked on the flight deck of the US aircraft carrier George Washington. (file photo)

America’s massive military spending is “very disturbing,” taking into account the country’s urgent domestic needs, an American international relations scholar says.

“It’s very upsetting that the military budget of the United States is even higher now than it was during most of the Cold War,” said Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco and a leading critic of US policy in the Middle East.

“Even though there is now no more Soviet [Union] threat, we are spending more money than ever, wasting more than ever,” Zunes told Press TV on Tuesday.

“It’s very disturbing given the very pressing domestic needs regarding healthcare, education, the environment, housing, public transportation and the overall social welfare,” he added.

On Monday, the Obama administration proposed an increased $534 billion Pentagon base budget for fiscal year 2016, plus $51 billion for funding wars.

The proposed budget for the US Department of Defense exceeds the $499 billion federal spending cap set for next year.

The new figures show an 8 percent increase in the base military budget. The Pentagon’s budget was $496 for fiscal 2015.

The base budget includes $126.5 billion for the Army, $137 billion for the Navy, $24 billion for the Marine Corps, and $152.9 billion for the Air Force.

The other $94.0 billion would fund other wide programs of the US military. Some $177.5 billion would be for modernization programs, including about $11 billion for the Joint Strike Fighter.

“More than 55 percent of the discretionary budget is going to military spending,” Zunes noted.

“What’s also disturbing is that the Republican majority in Congress believes that is not enough, that Obama’s budget does not put in enough money to the Pentagon; they are insisting that we spend even more on the military and even less on human needs,” he added.

AHT/GJH

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