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Even with cuts, U.S. military would still be #1

Released: 
September 09, 2013

Possible $52.3 billion cuts in the Pentagon budget would not knock the U.S. from its position as #1 military superpower spender. How much are we talking about?

As President Obama pitches the case for action in Syria to Congress, some Republicans have started questioning how the request plays with ongoing military budget cuts. Those cuts began to kick in earlier this year when Congress and the White House failed to agree on a plan to reduce the deficit - they could start to really cause issues with the military budget in October, when the next fiscal year begins. 

Sequestration would hit the Pentagon hard – but not hard enough to knock the U.S. off its perch as the world’s top military spender – at least not yet. It would shave $52.3 billion from the Pentagon in 2013. That would drop the Defense Department budget to $643 billion, still dwarfing #2 spender China, with its military budget estimated at $120 billion.

Sequestration could spell new cuts to the Pentagon over 10 years totaling $500 billion – on top of a like amount of spending reductions already planned.

We have a photo gallery with more details. Take a look, then check out “What Do Others Say?” and add your thoughts to the discussion below. Are you worried about sequestration’s impact on our military? What about the possible mission in Syria?