A Military Budget of Add-ons, Not Choices, Makes the Security Imbalance Worse

The imbalance between the budget for offense (military forces) and prevention (non-military foreign engagement) actually grew from 11:1 to 12:1. The imbalance between offense and defense (homeland security) stayed roughly the same, at 15:1.* The imbalance between spending on military vs. non-military security overall expanded, from 6.5:1 last year to 7:1 in the proposal for FY 2011. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates himself has said repeatedly that the extreme imbalance between what's spent on military and non-military foreign engagement isn't in our best interests. The budget released today actually makes this situation worse, and the Defense Department's budget is primarily responsible. Anita Dancs and Miriam Pemberton, "A Military Budget of Add-ons, Not Choices, Makes the Security Imbalance Worse" (Washington, DC: Foreign Policy In Focus, February 1, 2010)