The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is the largest federal agency in the United States, consuming more than half of discretionary spending in the U.S. budget. DOD purchases more than $1 billion of goods and services every day, accounting for two-thirds of all government purchases. And it employs some 3 million people globally, more than the world’s largest corporation.
These factors give DOD an outsize degree of influence on our budget and politics compared to other federal agencies. The defense dollars spread throughout the country in the form of military bases, corporate contractors and nuclear laboratories give lawmakers a strong incentive to add money to defense appropriations—the only “must pass” spending bill—for projects that will benefit their districts. And heavy reliance on the private sector for goods and services gives the defense industry a unique degree of political leverage, fueling the millions of dollars and thousands of lobbyists the industry deploys to influence Congress each year.
The unique function of national security means it often enjoys an exalted status when it comes to fiscal discipline. President Ronald Reagan said that “defense is not a budget issue: You spend what you spend.”But another former president, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, warned that "every arms dollar we spend above adequacy has a long-term weakening effect upon the nation and its security." The present moment is crucial for rooting out unneeded arms dollars as the economic crisis and debt debates force a reappraisal of national security goals and needs.
The TCS Defense Assets Database allows users to see what military installations and defense-related contractors, donors, and previous earmarks exist in their district, giving a complete picture of how defense spending intersects with local assets and political influence.
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