The Military-Industrial Complex

The United States is known as one of the most powerful countries globally, both in its economical advancement and military. For years they have used a military-industrial complex ideology that has spurred greatly. The ability of the United States to generate and deploy economic strength while also projecting its national ideals is essential to its national security. It also relies on long-term factors that contribute to economic growth, thereby boosting the overall resources available for economic security in the form of money and commercial opportunities for Americans and the military in general. Increasing the integration of the U.S. economy with global markets depends on national security, which alternatively depends on global economic stability and maintenance of the international economy, coordinating key economic policies, and deterring threats from the international financial system.

For many years, the military-industrial complex has been used to refer to a national military establishment that symbolizes the relationship between the nation’s military, economic and political. At his farewell address, Eisenhower echoed this term, thus making it famous on January 17, 1976 (History, 2018). During his speech, the president expressed his belief that the coexistence of massive military and a huge arms business would be novel in America (Weber,2020). His greatest fear was that it would result in policies that did not benefit all Americans and ends up costing the country a lot of money. On the other hand, having a military-industrial complex was critical in deterring the Soviet Union’s aggression toward the United States and its allies (Weber,2020). The complex came into existence in October 2006 and kept running a tally of those American defense contacts to keep an accurate value of defense expenditure for interested parties.

The notable benefits of this union would help both sides: war strategists would get the instruments they need to wage war, and military industries would get multi-million dollar transactions. This meant that the military would become the biggest manufacturer client, and the nation began investing more of its economy into military contact. On the political side, this ideology would lead to national budgets favors more the military to support the economic stability due to this relationship (History, 2018). Today, the United States regularly spends more money on its military than any other country (History, 2018). However, in comparison to other countries, defense spending accounts for a small percentage of the U.S. nation’s total gross domestic product.

The military directly impacts the United States economy and national security. These impacts include taxation, investment in the entity’s territory, the need for services, and the need for workers. National security policy eradicates threats and dangers, thus providing stability that creates a serene environment for economic growth (Sirko et al., 2019). However, maintaining this security is costly, and as a result, productive citizens and businesses are deprived of the ability to contribute to the economy (Gavin, 2021). The public and private sectors are left to eat from the scraps. Spending too much on national security can reduce a country’s productivity, leading to a drop in the economy. This increases unemployment and employment, and this production limitation lowers income and demand and leads to migration. Due to migration, there is a decrease in the number of inhabitants as people leave their families to work for national security agencies (Sirko et al., 2019). Consequently, children left in school and kindergarten decreased, and people who use other services in the public sector (Sirko et al., 2019). These individuals are exposed to a decline in quality stemming from diminishing income to the budget. Finally, the migration process results in an increase in the supply of housing resources which is difficult to manage, especially in rural areas.

The military-industrial complex has given the United States an unrivaled military advantage as well as significant social-economic and political clout. The U.S. strategy aspires to sustain economic expansion across the whole Western alliance system to generate prosperity and establish strategic strength for containment. They want to help people grow. Another influence of the military is that it promotes aspirations for human dignity (Bush, 2021). This assures that Americans are not only stronger but also more free and just. They aim to strengthen partnerships to battle global terrorism and prevent attacks on the United States and its allies. The war against terrorism in the United States is attempting to expand to a worldwide scale while still reinforcing liberty (Bush, 2021).

This, in turn, fosters economic progress and liberty outside of the United States. In addition, it has transformed adversity into opportunity because they back their allies and friends in the fight against terrorism in today’s world rather than focus solely on defending Americans. Free markets and free trade are also igniting a New Era of global economic progress (Bush, 2021). In addition, Improving national security results in greater wealth and freedom for the United States and the rest of the world. When free trade and markets are fostered, economic growth results in creating new jobs and higher earnings for citizens (Denoon, 2017). Peace allows individuals to lift their life out of poverty through promoting economic and legal changes, combating corruption, and reinforcing liberty. This, in turn, fosters economic progress and liberty in the United States.

In conclusion, The U.S. and other countries can emphasize the benefits of policies that promote productivity and sustain economic growth by engaging in economic engagement with other nations. For America and the rest of the globe, improving national security leads to progress in prosperity and freedom. When free trade and markets encourage economic growth, new jobs and high incomes are created for citizens. However, the economic impact of investing a lot in national security includes taxation, investment in the entity’s territory, the need for services, and the need for workers.

References

Bush, G. (2021). The National Security Strategy of the United States of America. Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved 23 April 2022, from https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/nssall.html.

Denoon, D. (2017). Economics and National Security: The Dangers of Overcommitment. As.nyu.edu. Retrieved 23 April 2022, from https://as.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu-as/faculty/documents/EconomicsandNationalSecurity.pdf.

Gavin, F. (2021). Economics and U.S. National Security – War on the Rocks. War on the Rocks. Retrieved 23 April 2022, from https://warontherocks.com/2021/06/economics-and-u-s-national-security/.

History. (2018). Military-Industrial Complex. HISTORY. Retrieved 22 April 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/military-industrial-complex.

Sirko, S., Kozuba, J., & Piotrowska-Trybull, M. (2019). The Military’s Links with Local Communities in the Context of Sustainable Development. Sustainability, 11(16), 4427. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164427

Weber, R. N. (2020, February 19). military-industrial complex. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/military-industrial-complex