Increase of Money Spending on Military in the US - Research Paper Example

Weihan Zhang MCWP 125 Marion Wilson 16th May Justification for the military research spending by the government of the united s despite economic downturn Introduction Even in intergovernmental bodies, the role of the military is essential. The military’s role is to ensure in any dreary, the civilian population maintains a stable socio-economic environment. The function could either be direct or have indirect impacts to the population. For instance, the army of the United States has a global role of the protection of civilians from the oppression by regimes and groups that have little or no respect of democracy. Through this role, it maintains a heavy presence globally and around conflict areas to assist in humanitarian and at times use force to protect the public (Laurienti, 2). In order to be efficient, direct funding to the military is important. This will aid the ability to maintain the staff and the military hardware that an army has. Apart from the aiding the maintenance, the funds could be channeled towards overcoming the challenges that the military faces. This can be done through research. A possible challenge could be the revolution of weaponry used by belligerent groupings. This paper gives an implementation of the research in the justification of spending to military research in the wake of a recession or an economic downturn. Research question The research proposed for this study is closely linked to the appropriations of government. Within a specific fiscal year, the priorities can change due to many reasons that are related to the world economic outlook and the prevalent government interests. As such events like economic recession can have a bearing on the appropriations that are given to government departments. In most cases of government deficits, the spending of some government departments are cut to accommodate the same. Military research, however, should not be subject to these expenditure cuts. This is the central focus of this research. The paper tries to develop a reason why the expenditure should be kept constant if not improved. It tries to seek a justification why the bodies in charge of appropriations should not limit the expenditure on military research. All these justification will be focused on the need to do the same even when the country is facing a recession. It is known that in the wake of a recession or an economic downturn, the spending priorities of the population has to change. By extension, the government priorities in providing the necessary services like education and healthcare and the maintenance of financial system will change. The tremendous development that the military has had in the past decades is attributed to the level of input of research (Barnes and Jentsch 5). Objectives The aims of research and development in most instances are related to the sustainability of the outcome or process. In some cases it is to improve on the efficiency and other better properties of the phenomenon or outcome. In this perspective, it is conclusive that the aim of a research and development process is to make what is being researched better. It is postulated that the same is applicable in military research. Therefore this paper gives an investigation on whether the research and development funding that is given to the military translates to a better quality of life to the public. The generalization or the projection that is used in this case is based on the efficiency of the military. Research in most cases is linked to the use of advanced or new technology. In warfare, the advancement of technology has led to emergence of most common technologies that are used. It is therefore likely that the military technology that is funded and developed through government appropriation has a link with the life of civilians. However, in the wake of a recession, apart from military research, there are other areas like healthcare and education which are also important. The main objective in this case will be to determine that reason for cutting expenditure on other government departments while keeping others. Method This particular study will use a secondary approach to take a data collection. Most of the data will be from the wide variety of researches that have been undertaken in the field of finance and appropriations. The aim of this will be to uncover why or how the determination of the governmental departments are done. Apart from the budgeting review of the military research, the study will look at the importance of the department of military research. This will be looked at in a broader perspective that includes the roles of the military. It will also unveil if any the relationship between the roles of the military and the quality of life of the civilians. Finally, a comparison on these important roles of the military and specifically the research department will be reviewed against the forgone alternatives at the time of economic depression. This will ensure that the impact of the appropriations given to military research is justified as compared to the other alternatives even in a recession. The secondary method of research has been chosen for the level of ease (Rugg and Marian, p 32) that it offers in conducting research of this type. The issue of military research is a subject that is shrouded in secrecy and confidentiality. It is not possible to get real-time empirical data on the same or even conduct interviews. The study will use information available from journals, books, newspapers and magazines. It will also take in information from scholarly articles published on the internet. Findings and discussion Budgetary allocations for the military The military typically receives five types of appropriations for its work (Weber and Johan, 105). The appropriations are categorized into research development testing and evaluation, procurement, military personal appropriations, operations and maintenance, and military construction operations. The research funding focuses on the initial development of the military equipment. It also finances the major testing and evaluation of the projects performed either by the Government and contractors of the military. Apart from this the funding also covers the initial testing and operation of the equipment or systems that have been funded by the research and development appropriation. In some cases, the salaries of any civilian officer who is contracted to undertake a professional action is also included within this kitty. This preceding discussion finds out that the importance of the research development and testing operations of the military are integral to its operations and success. It shows that apart from aiming at making the military better, it aims at sustainable development of new technologies to the military and the assurance that the same will work. It is therefore by default the most important part of the military by virtue of being the producer of its technology and systems. With this level of importance therefore the funding for this department has to be constantly reviewed with the aim of improvement and not downsizing. At the time of budgeting or appropriations, there are committees that are involved in allocating these funds to the specific government departments. The appropriations are allocated different levels of importance. This implies that the funding of the most crucial operations of the government have to be fulfilled at whatever cost to the same government and the taxpayer (Leiserson 121). This category is mandatory spending category. Even in a case of a recession, the government will have no options but to deal with the cost of the mandatory spending. In the United States, the mandatory spending are the department of defense, social security and medical units. The position of the government is therefore that even if there is a deficit realized through economic downturn, the basic services must receive the appropriate position of funding to finance their operations. This discourse points out to the level of impact of policy even at the time of a recession. It is crucial to also highlight the fact that the process of congress budgeting begins with the input of the president. The president makes suggestions that are related to the policy and intent or inclinations of the administration. Again at this point, the role of the military in enforcing these policies will be brought to light. In any case that the administration feels that the current importance of the military to their policies is high, then it is undoubted that the funding will receive a high priority. In line with the preceding discussion, one fact is observable, which is the fact that the military is likely to receive funding in all circumstances. Secondly, the appropriations that are given to the military are likely to end up in research and development of new equipment as it is the core of the military. Military roles, research and quality of life The roles of military to the population of a country are the core importance that the people will derive from their service. In this case, I looked into the possibility of the roles being linked to the quality of life of the population it serves. Key findings were in the area of economic, social and scientific developments that are attributed to the military. It also covered some aspects of political well being of the population. In economic development, the military can be used to further policies that either reduce the threats of the local economy or support its growth through its own means. International trade and relations is one area that the military can be of great importance. In international waters, the threat of piracy and the potential of the same to ruin a local economy is high. The military is the body that will effectively deal with these challenges and also extend their roles to intercepting smuggled goods or banned imports through embargos. To achieve this appropriate funding is necessary to aid operation and avail technology that can effectively deal with the scenario. This position still makes a high possibility of a high military research spending even in a recession. The aim of the policies in this case is to provide the local economy with the best possible conditions to grow and the policy is effected by the military (Nordlinger 1132). This cannot be achieved by the high rate of pilferage of low class cheap commodities from other countries at the expense of the locals’ quality of life. Other opinions that have been developed in the same sense look at the possibility of the military spending being a part of the major burden to the civilians (Dunne 2010). The argument advanced at this stage is based on the sub-Saharan Africa and the role of the military in this case. The study majorly focuses on the fact that the within this region, the presence of conflicts and the spending on the prevention are not a match. However, the link between the quality of life and the role of the military is not disputed. It states that the military has a significant role in the socio-economic activities in the region. The importance of the military in this case is already linked to the well-being of the population and the enforcement of policies that are directed towards the same. The quality of life can also be looked at from the perspective of the disaster management role of the military. In order to be in a position to manage these disasters, the military needs to be prepared to the maximum. This preparedness and the ability to handle the disasters is related to the level of technology that the military is possessing. This notion is in line with the fact that the disasters are different in nature and are unpredictable. It is therefore a necessity to develop technology that will handle any level of disaster in order to improve the quality of life of the population (Pinkowski, 402). In science and technology, the military research facilities have been the source of some very important invention s and innovations (van der Veer, 15). These innovations are used in the modern day civilian life with a number of them becoming sources of comfort in life or a source of economic growth. An example of the innovation in the 1960 regards the use of materials like plastic in the Second World War. It led to the discovery of lamination, plastic foam for house insulation and high temperature plastics that were used in the past decades for aviation. Furthermore, today plastics cover a wide range of household applications that relate to the military inventions. The department of advanced research and program agency (DARPA), a military initiative, produced one of the most famous innovations of all time. The use of the internet and computer networks is all attributed to its work. Today, people can shop, communicate, or management remotely from any point on earth so long as they can access the network. These actions made life not only comfortable but also led to the economic growth of the population. Social networking that was born out of the computer networks for instance has changed the lives of many. Apart from providing employment, the social networks have played an important role in the socio-political lives of the different people worldwide. A common example given in most cases is the impact of the same on the Arab spring (Allagui and Johanne 8). It is therefore observable that the military funding especially the research perspective has in the past generated projects that are of high importance to the world. These benefits are as a result of dedicated funding and hard work in the research that the military has received in the past. The overall impact of these roles in the economy is far greater than the funding that led to their production. As noted, the introduction of the internet by the military and the subsequent use of the same in social networking cannot be compared to the price tag that produced it. Its impact worldwide has no monetary value. Democratic rights like freedom of speech achieved on this platform is what drive the high overall value. However, critics to this position would argue from the myopic position that the government ought to deal with the current problem of recession to alleviate suffering of the population. In this case of a recession, the outcome of the research that is conducted by the military could be the ultimate change of the economic forces to favor the local economy in the long run. It would not be a good idea to take on a short term solution at the expense of a viable long term solution which can be achieved through research. Others can forward the position that the waste of much needed funds at the time when the economy is not doing well is not a good idea. The critics who believe this position also question the viability of the overly ambitions science projects that are funded in these research (Altman 144). The possible answer to this group could be that without that ambition then new ideas would not be born (Lewis, 78). During the Second World War, the aspect of research was a necessary phenomenon. Its popularity did not stem out of the fact that the American population did want to win the war at the time. Its importance was derived from the fact that the economic importance of the works related to the war was high. Most of the activities that the government was engaging on were seen as points of economic progress. The impact of this envisioning resulted on the fact that the politicians at the time felt the same. The politicians argued that if the construction of military bases and the research programs that were run in the bases was economically driven, then the results of the same would underpin the local economy. In this perspective the argument of the politicians who aspired for office is that the research was an important aspect of reviving economic activity. This aspect is an important aspect in the sense that the great depression had curtailed most of the economic activities that the government could engage in. during the great depression, factors that influence the economy like the level of employment are pertinent issues. It was therefore important for the government to participate in activities that would allow the economy to regain its form. Among the activities that could raise the optimism in the population were the increases in the level of employment. The level of research and the activity of the military is one area of the government to infuse a level of monetary control in the nation. Monetary control and policy are important aspects of the economy that the government has to administer in a case of a recession. It is important for the government through the federal reserve to manage the infusion of money into the economy with the aim of revamping the level of activity in the nation. One way of effectively dealing with the effects of the recession is creating employment. The ability of the federal government in this perspective is crucial. The importance would be related to the fact that through injecting money into the economy, the revamp from the old status is imminent. While developing the budget appropriations, these factors are supposed to be considered in the process. First as noted from the preceding discussion, the importance of the military research is a factor that cannot be wished away. Secondly, the research underpins the functionality of the military and its ability. Being one of the sectors that receive the highest amount of allocation in terms of government spending, it is therefore imperative that the research receives the highest allocation. Depending on the government ability and intention, at the local level it is possible that the level of the trade and economic activity generated by military research could improve the economy. In this case, the intention of the policy designers would shift from the ordinary intention of the military and the prevailing recession to the roles of the jobs created through research. In some instances, the government has adopted the aspect of economic stimulus package (federal Government , 29). The intention of the package is to deliver a level of economic activation at a time when the economy is in a recession. The impacts of this stimulus package are numerous. First, its overall role is to increase the flow of money that is within an economy. By doing this role, the package is often found to be increasing the level of employment and the resultant use of the money in the economy. In any economy the level of the increase of employment increases the ability of the population financially. It also influences the possibility of the population to be conservative in their spending. In the preceding discussion, the intent of the increase of the funding foe military operations and activities is important. It is also crucial the increase of the military activities will be at the centre or related to the actions that can spar economic growth (Chukwu, 142). The importance of military research in this perspective derives its importance from the fact that military research increases the options of the monetary policy implementation. In the case of a depression, the implementation of this policy is important due to the fact that the options that the government might have are limited to the sectors affected. The involvement of civilians in the research and the resultant economic effect is therefore the main reason for the justification of the research. It is therefore crucial that in the face a recession the funding that is given to the military is advanced if not improved. Conclusion The military plays an important role in any nation. Apart from the enclosure of the territorial boundaries and effecting sovereignty, the roles of the military in research and development are of great importance to the population. As noted here, the research that the military has undertaken in the recent past is the main cause of life comforting innovation of the present. Many systems that the current population relies on like internet and social networks are results of the extensive research work done by the military. In the event of an economic downturn, the military research program has therefore proven its case that it can be trusted to deliver change. The change can be through acquiring technology that will assist in enforcing government policy about economic. It can also be an introduction of a life changing technology that will eventually turn around the economic position of the country. It is therefore essential that even at the time of economic difficulty, the military research department receives the required amount of funding to enable it undertake its actions in full. Works cited Allagui, Ilhem, and Johanne Kuebler. "The arab spring & the role of icts| introduction." International Journal of Communication 5 (2011): 8. Altmann, Jurgen The Relationship between Our Daily Life and Military Technology Developmen. "Critical Analysis of New Weapons Technologies." Peace Review 21.2 (2009): 144-154. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. Chukwu, Ethelbert N. Economic Dynamics of All Members of the United Nations. , 2014. Internet resource. Government, Federal. Stimulus: Essential Documents. Lanham: Government Institutes, 2009. Internet resource. Dunne, J. "Military spending and economic growth in Sub Saharan Africa." Preliminary draft, February (2010). Jentsch, Florian, and Michael Barnes. Human-Robot Interactions in Future Military Operations 2nd ed. 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Weber, Jeffrey A., and Johan Eliasson, eds. Handbook of Military Administration. CRC Press, 2007. Read More