PRESS ROOM

Hartung details how the U.S. departments of Defense (DOD) and Energy (DOE) are ramping up a plan to build the next generation of nuclear-armed bombers, missiles, and submarines as well as warheads, and the beneficiaries are major contractors along with operators of the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) nuclear weapons complex.

“The CBO was able to find multiple pathways to saving $1 trillion over ten years even under the current overly muscular National Defense Strategy developed during the Trump administration, which relies on military force to the detriment of other more effective solutions,” William Hartung said.

“The CBO was able to find multiple pathways to saving $1 trillion over ten years even under the current overly muscular National Defense Strategy developed during the Trump administration, which relies on military force to the detriment of other more effective solutions.”

“At a time when Congress is seeking to add $24 billion to a Pentagon budget proposal that far exceeds spending at the peak of the Korean or Vietnam wars, the CBO analysis offers an opportunity to step back and take a closer look at how much is actually necessary to protect the U.S. and its allies,” Hartung continued.

Progressive foreign policy experts on Thursday pointed to a new Congressional Budget Office report that concludes it is possible to slash a trillion dollars in military spending over the coming decade without reducing force effectiveness as further proof that the United States can and should prioritize investments in tackling pandemics, inequality, and the climate crisis.

President Biden has disappointed so far in fulfilling his campaign promise to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security policy. Most notably, his administration’s fiscal year 2022 budget fully funded every aspect of the Trump nuclear weapons program. The budget even went beyond what was contained in the Pentagon’s preexisting plan, which could cost up to $2 trillion over the next three decades.

The Pentagon and the Department of Energy (DOE) are ramping up a three-decades long plan worth up to $2 trillion to build a new generation of nuclear weapons.

This month marks the third anniversary of the murder of U.S.-resident Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi. It’s long past time to hold those responsible for his assassination accountable, and to stand up for other victims of Saudi crimes.

The new CBO report marks a refreshing departure from the cries for more Pentagon spending emanating from Capitol Hill, and lays out practical steps for achieving real reductions in military outlays. It should mark the beginning of a debate over how much to reduce the Pentagon budget, not whether to do so.

Today, William Hartung joins Thursday host Allen Ruff on the show for a discussion of Biden’s increased defense budget, the U.S. nuclear weapons program, how the military is lining the pockets of defense contractors, and more.

President Biden campaigned on reducing the role of nuclear weapons, yet that's changed since he's taken office. He needs to make good on his pledge.

William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Program Center for International Policy, points out another multibillion-dollar boondoggle in the House bill: “a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), known in Pentagon-ese as the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD).” ICBMs are particularly dangerous because, as Hartung notes, “The president would have only a matter of minutes to launch them in a crisis, increasing the risk of an accidental nuclear war based on a false alarm.” The Biden administration increased the budget for the weapons system from $1.4 billion to $2.6 billion and it’s estimated that the GBSD will cost at least $264 billion over its lifetime.