Europe s Myopic Defense Cuts

Defense cuts are also happening at a time when Europe, for the first time in modern history, has been overtaken by Asia in terms of total defense spending.

The reason Europeans are reluctant to increase defense spending is expense. Cutting welfare spending where the big money is would be painful.

Defense expenditures are proving to be the easiest of targets.

The scale back in defense spending was mainly noticeable in Western Europe and in the Russian Federation.

As a share of total government spending, defense expenditure has fallen from 7.8 in 1998 to 6.1 in 2006.

Even economic growth will not prevent a tradeoff between defense and welfare spending for Europeans.

Yet defense spending across Europe remains flat or in decline.

Yes, the total war defense spending multiplier can be relatively precisely estimated.

Democrats oppose most nondefense spending cuts, arguing that reductions would cause the economy to contract.

Last month, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also announced yet another increase in Russian defense spending.

Even Britain under the Tory David Cameron has joined the rush to slash defense spending.

Cuts in European defense spending, moreover, are starting to cause serious tensions within the Atlantic Alliance.

The first decision I adopted on my Government's first day in office was to cut back military expenditure in my country by 23 per cent in order to allocate it to food, health, education and social investments.

a massive increase in defense expenditures, fueled by two fruitless wars, but going well beyond that

Likewise, the Reagan Revolution in the US stopped the upward trend in non defense spending.

COPENHAGEN All over Europe, budgets are being pared as a new age of austerity takes hold. Defense expenditures are proving to be the easiest of targets.

Growing anxiety among China s neighbors, particularly India, has led to remarkable increases in defense spending by other Asian powers as well.

And their conclusion is that the only way to tackle our deficit is to cut excessive spending wherever we find it in domestic spending, defense spending, health care spending, and spending through tax breaks and loopholes.

Romney, by contrast, favors limiting overall federal spending, currently 24 of GDP, to 20 , and keeping defense at 4 .

Earthworks, the last line of defense.

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They point to increasing defense expenditures and the development of missile and submarine technology designed to cordon off the seas extending from China s coast to the first island chain of Taiwan and Japan.

The first line of defense I'll just call that the first

For example, Ryan supported George W. Bush s spending spree. He also supports maintaining defense spending at or near its current level resisting the cuts that were put in place under the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Worse yet, discretionary non defense spending includes programs that are indispensable for economic growth and economic growth is indispensable for America s future prosperity and global standing.

He also supports maintaining defense spending at or near its current level resisting the cuts that were put in place under the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Fifty years of defense dependence on the US has created a powerful peace industry in Europe whose primary business is to fight defense spending tooth and nail.

The Alliance helps interested partners with defense reform.

What is that? It's an antiviral defense enzyme.

The defense share of R D in the European Union and Japan has been and remains markedly lower less than 10 in the EU and less than 5 in Japan in 2009 (no comparable data are available for China and South Korea). Over the next decade, sizeable cuts in defense spending as part of overall deficit reduction could mean a significant reduction in R D investment in the US.

Last year, a US Department of Defense report noted that China s defense expenditures appear to be much higher than acknowledged by the Chinese government.

Romney, by contrast, favors limiting overall federal spending, currently 24 of GDP, to 20 , and keeping defense at 4 . He wants private markets, not government, to choose winning firms and technologies.

Lower your guard. I'll kill you on the first rush.

Since the plan s adoption, scandals involving overpricing and corruption have multiplied, with many defense executives losing their jobs. And still, until this year, actual defense spending remained at about 3 of GDP.

Despite British forces having been engaged in two major military operations since 2003, defense spending represents only 2.3 of GDP the lowest since the 1930 s.

The front lines would turn into an inferno, making it appear as if the earth itself was on fire.

If we cut defense spending too much, for too long, we will sacrifice that hard won expertise, which will be impossible to regenerate quickly when we need it most.

Spending. Obama has dramatically increased spending.

Even though defense budgets are under pressure in this time of austerity, it is essential that NATO members hold the line on defense spending and are prepared to increase it when their economies recover.

The EU can help by strengthening its defense planning.

Moreover, this line of defense misses the point.

And it's for these others that I take my stand here, not for myself alone.

It also requires annual information exchanges on defense planning and budgets.

Defense transformation is a key aspect of burden sharing.