Obama and the defense budget.

[Vattel]

Requested by Obama:

DOD base budget:
2010: 533.7 (billion dollars)
2011: 548.9
2012: 553

Total military spending (not counting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan):
2011: 736
2012: 763

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (note that additional funds for 2012 can be requested later):
2011: 159
2012: 118

http://useconomy.about.com/od/usfederalbudget/p/military_budget.htm

The very tentative plans to cut 400 billion by 2023 are actually plans to slow the growth of the defense budget so that increases actually do not quite keep up with inflation.

[ProSense]

1. Actually,

"Total military spending (not counting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan):
2011: 736
2012: 763

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (note that additional funds for 2012 can be requested later):
2011: 159
2012: 118"

...that's inaccurate. The 2012 defense budget is $671 billion, including $117 billion for the wars.

[Kolesar]

2. That was a good read

Packed with facts.
And the unavoidable braggadocio.

[Vattel]

3. No

That 671 doesn't include all military spending. It only includes the DOD base budget and the wars.

[ProSense]

4. No,

even one of the charts at the link provided shows that the total includes the 117 billion.

Still, the link I provided is to the defense department statement:

Obama Asks for $671 Billion Defense Budget in Fiscal 2012.

[Vattel]

5. Huh?

I didn't deny that the 671 billion includes the 117.6 billion for the wars. So I don't think we disagree. There's nothing wrong with your figure, it just doesn't include all of the defense spending that is outside the base DOD budget and the wars. In fact, even the number I cite is arguably too low to cover all national security related spending. It does include DOE defense items, Homeland Security, Veteran's Affairs, and a few others, in addiiton to DOD and OCO (the wars).