Placeholder Image

字幕表 動画を再生する

  • In 2014, the United States spent nearly a trillion dollars on national defense.

  • The military budget alone made up more than the next 7 highest spending countries combined.

  • With nearly 20% of federal budget going towards defense, it's clear that the economy as

  • well as the US's international status, are extremely dependent on this continued spending.

  • So, why do we spend so much?

  • What exactly is the military-industrial-complex?

  • Well, the term is most attributed to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

  • He was one of the highest ranked generals in US history, and served during World War

  • II.

  • As he left office in 1961, he advised that military power was necessary to maintain peace.

  • However, he warned against the military-industrial complex, or the self perpetuating relationship

  • between the economy, the military, and the government.

  • In the mid 1940s, the US government began shifting away from producing all of their

  • own military equipment.

  • Instead of attempting to create monopolized government industries, they started offering

  • defense contracts to private companies.

  • As military technology became increasingly complex, the amount of money the government

  • was willing to spend increased as well.

  • This led to massive payouts and intense competition to secure those defense contracts.

  • The Cold War created a situation where no direct fighting was going on, but the US was

  • still forced to militarily outspend their enemy, the Soviet Union.

  • This led to massive spending and military stockpiling costing over 10 trillion dollars.

  • Today, the Department of Defense employs 3 million people directly.

  • They also indirectly employ another 3 million through defense contracts.

  • 2 and a half million more are employed through the US military.

  • Effectively, a good portion of the US economy relies on the ability of the government to

  • continue financing war-planning.

  • Massive companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing derive significant percentages of income

  • from defense contracts.

  • In recent years, the entire world spent about 1.7 trillion on military expenditures.

  • The US comprises nearly half of that figure.

  • This cycle incentivizes continued military expansion.

  • Unfortunately, this expansion is based on a necessity to defend oneself.

  • When there is no threat, there is no reason to invest, and millions could be out of a

  • job.

  • Some have described this situation as creating a “psychological, moral, and material interest

  • in propagating military development, and international crisis.

  • In his Farewell Address, Eisenhower saidwe must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted

  • influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex.”

  • There is no question that that's already happened.

  • But whether or not it has led to abuses of power, or a decay in liberty and democracy,

  • is an often debated topic.

  • Considering the substantial impact of the military in the US's political, economic,

  • and social process, it certainly seems that it might be too deeply ingrained to ever go

  • back.

  • If you want to learn more about how the military-industrial-complex manifests itself in actual wars, check out

  • our video on private defense contractors fighting overseas.

  • Thanks for watching, make sure to like and subscribe, for new videos every day.

In 2014, the United States spent nearly a trillion dollars on national defense.

字幕と単語

ワンタップで英和辞典検索 単語をクリックすると、意味が表示されます

B1 中級

アメリカはなぜそんなに軍が好きなのか? (Why Does America Love Its Military So Much?)

  • 79 2
    葉品銳 に公開 2021 年 01 月 14 日
動画の中の単語