Why does the US defense budget continue to grow? America’s approach needs rethinking

If there is one piece of legislation Congress prioritizes every year, it’s the annual government spending bill. After the usual last-minute hiccups over amendments, the Senate finally settled on an agreement to pass the $1.7 trillion bill and the House followed suit. Unsurprisingly, much of the debate over the spending package focused on the top-line numbers, particularly in the realm of defense. At $858 billion, the U.S. defense budget got a boost of $76 billion, or about 10%, from the previous year. The money will be used to finance everything from major weapons systems to the development of...