April 13, 2017

Military keeps American people and business safe

It appears that President Trump's proposed budget will not survive first contact on the Hill. The large cuts to some agencies, such as the State Department, and cultural investment, such as the National Endowment for the Arts, have been decried by Republicans and Democrats alike. The conversation has, however, spurred a discussion about what the defense budget should be and do.

It's easy to focus on what the U.S. military does overseas, not to mention how expensive it appears to be. Yet we need to remember that defense spending enables the benefits of peace at home. U.S. Air Force and Navy assets defend the satellites and undersea cables that facilitate today's advanced telecommunications — enabling everything from GPS to the financial transactions that underpin modern commerce. Everyday Americans feel these benefits when they order a Lyft on their mobile phone, pull up a list of florists near their office from their desktop, or file their taxes from the comfort of their home computer. As Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet (Google's parent company), reminded a defense audience last week, defense spending built the internet — and spawned an entire industry.

Read the full article at the Times-Call.

  • Podcast
    • March 28, 2025
    Siliconsciousness: The AI Competition: Public Policy Strategies: Part 1

    This episode comprises the first part of our special event, “The AI Competition: Public Policy Strategies”. The event, co-hosted by MIT Technology Review, brings together some...

    By Dr. ED McGrady

    • Video
    • March 25, 2025
    How Drones in Ukraine Are Reshaping War

    Samuel Bendett, a senior adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins The Cipher Brief to discuss the current situation of drones being used in Ukraine.Watc...

    By Samuel Bendett

  • Commentary
    • The Interpreter
    • March 25, 2025
    Awful but Lawful: China’s Australia Flotilla

    As such, this was not a demonstration of Chinese freedom of navigation. It was a show of force....

    By Tom Shugart

  • Reports
    • March 13, 2025
    Safe and Effective

    The promise of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy to change the character of war inches closer to reality...

    By Josh Wallin

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia