Does America Spend Too Much on Its Military?

1. Set Focus
Frame the inquiry with these essential questions: How big must a nation’s military be to successfully protect that nation?

2. Read and Discuss
Have students read the debate and then answer the following questions:

• What is the issue being debated? How does it relate to current events? (The issue is whether the U.S. spends more on its military than is needed to maintain national security. As the Biden administration looks to increase spending on infrastructure and social programs, the debate over whether to spend less on the military has heated up.)

• Evaluate why these two authors might be interested in and qualified to comment on this issue. (As members of Congress, both Barbara Lee and James Inhofe propose, debate, and vote on bills that set the budgets for the U.S. military and set other government spending.)

• Analyze Lee’s view. (Lee argues that the U.S. spends too much on its armed forces. She says that we can reduce defense spending without sacrificing national security or reducing support for service members. She says that by re-allocating some of the military’s budget to humanitarian and diplomacy goals, we can better meet our security needs.)

• Analyze Inhofe’s view. (Inhofe argues that the U.S. does not spend too much on its armed forces. He says that no other country faces the threats that the U.S. does. He also says that other countries spend more than they admit to and often don’t count what they spend on pay, housing, and health care for their soldiers, as we do.)
  

4. Writing Prompt
In an essay, evaluate one of the debaters’ arguments. Assess whether the reasoning is valid and whether it’s supported with evidence. Point out biases or missing information.

5. Classroom Debate
Does America spend too much on its military? Have students use the authors’ ideas, as well as their own, in a debate.

6. Vote
Go online to vote in Upfront’s poll—and see how students across the country voted.