In his 1998 book "Restoring an Army of the People," former senator and presidential candidate Gary Hart talked about the security threats facing the United States in the future.
The whole idea behind the book was that the threats that face us - the greenhouse effect, terrorism, rogue states, pandemics, low-intensity urban warfare from tribes or gangs - largely don't equal state-based threats, except for rogue states. Mr. Hart voiced his opposition to a huge military-industrial complex, based on Cold War ideology, in a time when the Soviet Union was gone.
This book was very prophetic, as we were attacked by a terrorist faction on September 11, 2001, climate change continues to be a security threat, rogue states (Russia, North Korea) are still in the news, and we're still living in a pandemic. Unwisely, our political establishment still sees the answer to security as more military spending.
Military spending has a leg up in the argument because the Department of Defense has an economic footprint all around our country and the world. Jobs are created by weapons manufacturing and military installations. The populace has yet to take this on, or at least a large portion of the populace.
However, there is a plan in Congress right now that will put us on a new path, although the withdrawal from Afghanistan is dominating headlines. US Representative Mark Pocan has long been a critic of American interventionism, and he supports the withdrawal from Afghanistan. At the same time, US Representative Elizabeth Cheney supports staying in Afghanistan and political commentator Tucker Carlson warns of the dangers of accepting refugees from the country. Serving as a third force, Mr. Pocan supports an enlightened internationalism, as he wants to move away from reactive militarism and toward diplomatic and humanitarian approaches to challenges that forge a more secure world.
Pocan chairs the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, and he has introduced the Covid Defense Spending Act that will transfer about 1.3 percent of the US military budget to global vaccination efforts. Writer John Nichols stated in this story "We Can't Bomb Our Way Out of the Pandemic" that "the $9.6 billion shift in spending priorities, while small in the context of the Pentagon's $740.5 billion budget, would more than double the amount of money available for vaccine production, procurement and distribution internationally. This move, Pocan explains, could enable perhaps another 30 percent of the world's vulnerable population to have access to a COVID-19 vaccine. Doing that would curtail the spread of variants that threaten everyone."
Congressman Pocan stated eloquently why the Covid Defense Spending Act is so important US security: "We can't bomb our way out of a global pandemic. Right now, COVID is the greatest risk to our national security, as well as the world's security. Shifting funds from weaponry and military contractors to producing COVID vaccines will save hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives around the world. At a time when America spends more on its military than the next 11 closest nations combined, we should be able to sacrifice a little over 1 percent of that to save lives, build global goodwill and actually make the world a safer, healthier place." Building our soft power (non-military) right now is important in a world where China is making a play for influence. By helping to vaccinate the world, we can build global goodwill and prove the democratic republic is a relevant form of government.
Jason Sibert is the Executive Director of the Peace Economy Project
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