The $417 billion defence bill that Pesident Bush signed this year is 12% higher than the average military budget during the Cold War, according to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA).
The Pentagon expects to spend nearly $490 billion by fiscal year 2009 as new ships, planes and next-generation fighting tools come off the production lines. That’s 23% higher than the average Soviet-inspired U.S. defense budget, CSBA states.
Would Kerry make an difference? Not according to military analysts who suggest "It would just be a question of a shift in spending priorities." The Kerry campaign has stressed a need for an additional 40,000 troops.
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