Ike’s Warning on Military Spending

When President Eisenhower issued his famous warning in 1961 about the military-industrial complex, defense spending was a whopping 45% of the federal budget, 8.2% of GNP and there were 2.4 million troops on active duty.

Today, defense is a mere 25% of the federal budget--down 48% from Ike’s day; its share of GNP is 5.4%--down 34%, and 2.1 million troops are on active duty--down 12%. Clearly, defense is not the culprit in the budgetary deficit.

In fact, a good case can be made for dramatically more military spending because the Pentagon does much more than simply support a standing army. Its research and development expenditures fund the cutting edge of technological developments in a host of industries that ultimately benefit the nation as a whole with new and improved consumer goods.

Products as “ordinary” as freeze-dried coffee and plastic wrap have come from military research. Not to mention the advances in electronics and durable goods materials.

As for cost overruns, the only way to prevent them completely is to never create anything new. Cost overruns happen with brand new projects like space capsules, Stealth bombers and SDI because everything must be created from scratch and tested endlessly each step of the way.

To further summarize Eisenhower’s performance as President, during his eight-year tenure, 1952-60: He produced balanced budgets three times yet defense’s share of the federal budget averaged over 51% for the full eight years.

Sorry, Mr. Willens, defense is not the problem today. And it never was.

DON HULL, Costa Mesa