Defense Budget 2011 Guide: Trillions to Burn? Defense Spending Surge: "What Chart 2 makes clear is that (1) defense spending has moved in waves historically and that (2) the most recent surge reaches uniquely high. Indeed, total spending (actual and planned) after 2001 appears much above the average for the preceding five decades. The Obama administration is contributing substantially to this trend. It plans to spend more on defense in real (inflation-adjusted) terms than did any administration since 1948 – a period encompassing the entire Cold War, including two large-scale, protracted regional wars: Korea and Vietnam.
Comparing several eight-year administrations we find that:
· Ronald Reagan spent $4.1 trillion on the Defense Department (in 2010 dollars),
· G. W. Bush spent $4.65 trillion, and
· Barrack Obama plans to spend more than $5 trillion.
How does the 1998-2011 spending surge compare to previous surges? The most ready comparisons are to the 1958-1968 (Kennedy-Johnson) surge of 43% and the 1975-1985 (Reagan) surge of 57%. Notably, the 1998-2011 surge is as large as these two predecessors combined."
