The US spent $687B on Defense spending in 2010 [http://milexdata.sipri.org/ http://milexdata.sipri.org/], and $502B in 1990 (both numbers in 2009 dollars). Chin

The US spent $687B on Defense spending in 2010 [http://milexdata.sipri.org/ http://milexdata.sipri.org/], and $502B in 1990 (both numbers in 2009 dollars). China - the next guy down the list - is estimated at $114B. I'm a strong believer in the benefits to society that come from military research, but on a funding basis, don't you think there's some room to decline a bit there? Having said that, I haven't been in the field or done serious writings and research on military readiness. If the US military is declining as bad as you say over the past twenty years, then isn't a larger question what we're spending all that money on?