Too much. Too little, Just enough. Those are the answers to the question of how much the US ought to spend on national defense at a time when many feel the country should be reaping the so-called peace dividend from the end of the Cold War. The number is $260 billion-give or take a few billion-a staggering figure that is even larger, allowing for inflation, than 20 years ago at the height of the Cold War. And due to the current political climate, with an undeclared and frustrating war being waged in Yugoslavia and a renewed fervor for military spending, there is a number that is bound to go higher as we enter the next millennium. Pentagon observers in the public and private sectors question not only the massive amounts of expenditures but whether the money is being spent wisely. With the demise of the Soviet military, there is no credible military force in the world capable of challenging the US, yet the government continues to spend massive amounts of money on heavy equipment to justify the Department of Defense (DoD) assumption that the military must be equipped to fight two major regional conflicts in the world simultaneously against "rogue states" such as iraq and North Korea. While no one knows the correct prescription for a scaled-down and leaner military, it is becoming clear that greater emphasis should be placed on highly mobile forces whose muscle derives from electronics technology rather than strategic bombers, tanks, and artillery. This will not only bring the armed forces mission closer to global realities but it will reduce the amount of military spending as well.
