Cord Byrd: “Mr. President, just weeks ago, our Armed Forces once again demonstrated--demonstrated--the overwhelming might of the…”

“Mr. President, just weeks ago, our Armed Forces once again demonstrated--demonstrated--the overwhelming might of the United States military. Due to the sustained commitment of our country to invest a substantial proportion of our national wealth into our national defense, our military is faster, more agile, more lethal, better equipped, better protected, and better compensated than any other in the world. Make no doubt about it, the sums that we invest in defense are enormous. According to the most recent CIA World Factbook, the world spent about three-quarters of a trillion dollars on arms in 1999, the latest year for which statistics are available. That same year, the United States spent $292 billion on its military that is nearly 40 percent of all military spending on Earth. Our country spends more on defense than all the other 18 members of NATO, plus China, plus Russia, and plus the six remaining rogue states combined. Yet our defense budget continues to increase. This bill authorizes $400 billion for our national defense in the next year.”