The U.S. military budget is poised to surge above $800 billion, and many Members of Congress cite the threat posed by Russia as a key reason it must continue to rise.
But in a forthcoming study from Brown University's Costs of War Project, military strategy expert Lyle Goldstein offers evidence to the contrary, and lays out the case for why the United States should not engage in threat inflation when it comes to Russia, or use Russia as an excuse to expand the military budget.
This virtual briefing will walk through the key evidence in Goldstein's paper, and discuss the implications for the U.S. military budget. Lyle will be joined by military budget expert Bill Hartung and the conversation will be moderated by peace and security strategist Elizabeth Beavers.
Why Military Spending Should Not Be Increased Because of Russia
Lyle J. Goldstein is director of the Asia Engagement program at Defense Priorities and Visiting Professor at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. At Brown, he is investigating the costs of great power competition with both China and Russia in association with the Costs of War Project. Formerly, he served as research professor at U.S. Naval War College for 20 years. In that post, he was awarded the Superior Civilian Service Medal for founding and leading the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI). His main areas of expertise include both maritime security and nuclear security issues. Major focus areas have also recently included the Arctic, as well as the Korean Peninsula. He speaks both Chinese and Russian and has a PhD from Princeton, an MA from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and a BA from Harvard.
William D. Hartung is a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. His work focuses on the arms industry and U.S. military budget. He was previously the director of the Arms and Security Program at the Center for International Policy and the co-director of the Center's Sustainable Defense Task Force. From July 2007 through March 2011, Mr. Hartung was the director of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation. Prior to that, he served as the director of the Arms Trade Resource Center at the World Policy Institute. Hartung’s articles on security issues have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and the World Policy Journal. He has been a featured expert on national security issues on CBS 60 Minutes, NBC Nightly News, the PBS Newshour, CNN, Fox News, and scores of local, regional, and international radio outlets.
Elizabeth Beavers is a national security legal scholar and strategist for peace and security advocacy. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Elizabeth led advocacy efforts on national security and human rights for Indivisible, Amnesty International USA, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Elizabeth also teaches remotely as an adjunct professor of counterterrorism law at the University of New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce School of Law and is a Senior Fellow with Data For Progress. Elizabeth’s expertise on national security law, anti-militarist foreign policy, and progressive advocacy is featured frequently on panels, podcasts, events, and in the media. Her analysis has been featured in outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, Politico, Reuters, and The Guardian.