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Should Military Spending Be Increased?

Debate Information

Position: For
Do you believe that military spending should be increased?

Opponent - @WilliamSchulz
joecavalrynatbaronsaarong
  1. Live Poll

    Should Military Spending Be Increased?

    9 votes
    1. Yes
      55.56%
    2. No
      44.44%



Debra AI Prediction

Against
Predicted To Win
56%
Likely
44%
Unlikely

Details +




Debate Type: Traditional Debate



Voting Format: Casual Voting

Opponent: WilliamSchulz

Rounds: 3

Time Per Round: 48 Hours Per Round


Voting Period: 24 Hours


Forfeited



Post Argument Now Debate Details +



    Arguments


  • Round 1 | Position: For
    comey_testifycomey_testify 54 Pts   -  
    Yes, military spending should be increased.

    1) The military should be expanded and maintenances which requires increased or high military spending.

    2) The military is required to protect the United States’s citizens.

    3) Military may be leverage in some situations or deals.

    Sources-

    1)https://www.heritage.org/defense/commentary/what-should-america-spend-defense-and-why

    2) http://amp.nationalreview.com/corner/445287/yes-its-time-increase-defense-spending
    ale5Poguecheesycheese
  • Round 1 | Position: Against
    WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    Hey comey_testify, Thanks for creating this debate. As the negative side in this debate, I will be trying to persuade viewers that the government should lower military spending or at least keep it stable to where it is currently. 

    Okay, so a little history first on the nature of military spending. Military spending helps keep the nation safe, supports veterans, and increases and decreases due to certain factors, like war, or economic fluctuation. Here is an image of military spending according to 
    https://www.usgovernmentspending.com/defense_spending


    While some parts of this graph may not seem to make sense, the graph is also adjusted for inflation, 700 million dollars in 1940 might be 6.7 billion today. 

    From the graph, it can be discerned that military spending has slowly fallen after the results of the Afghanistan conflict in the Middle East. However, with the recent Trump budget adding 100 Bn. to the military budget, it is time to review why military spending should be minimized.

    Reason 1: Overspending compared to the Rest of the World

    According to USA Today, we outspend other countries three times over, and this was in 2013 alone, the number since increacing.
    • United States. > Military expenditure: $618.7 billion. ...
    • China. > Military expenditure: $171.4 billion. ...
    • Russia. > Military expenditure: $84.9 billion. ...
    • Saudi Arabia. > Military expenditure: $62.8 billion. ...
    • France. > Military expenditure: $62.3 billion.
    The reason why this is such a problem is because we aren't in any current conflict with the rest of the world, even if you count ISIS, it is not a first world country with arms and nuclear weapons to worry about. Military spending should go with the times, in order to protect our security, we should still have say 200 Bn. in reserve, but since we are not in any critical military condition, we could use the other 400 Bn. to improve foreign relations, or improve commerce, or even to repair some interstates that run west to east. The possibilities are endless, but since the military is not in need, we don't need to give them an excess of cash. 

    Reason 2: We try to police world affairs

    This is an interesting discussion point, in that when world events occur, how often do we try to solve world issues instead of letting them play out? More often than not, according to Ellen Laipson, CEO of the Henry L. Stimson Center.

    She says, "If we step up to the role of the world's policeman, we would be committing to act and to put our soldiers and police and our citizens in harm's way where U.S. interests may be very modest. Do we want to assume responsibility to go anywhere, anytime? ... Are we capable of doing the job? Can we be the beat cop...? Do we know the neighborhood? Do we speak the language? Do we know the culture so that we can diffuse conflict before it breaks into violence? I'm not so sure about that."

    This was present in the Afghanistan conflict and even ISIS, where an organization that hasn't really affected us or a country that had a couple WMD's necessitates a military invasion in both instances! Um, no. In both instances, we have spent too much money and lives to try to prevent countries and organizations from acting in their own will when we aren't the real judges of such instances. We should rather let Israel or some other nation affected by the nation / organization deal with it, and only support the victims if need be. While we can't be entirely isolationist as a first world dominant country, we can take steps to ensure that we don't get involved in every problem that arises in the world. 

    That is a basic list, and I will add more onto it in future rounds.

    aarongOakchairbcPogue
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • Round 2 | Position: For
    comey_testifycomey_testify 54 Pts   -   edited January 2018
    Military spending should be increased during every or most fiscal years, but especially increased during high tensions or wars.

    This has to be done to the United States’ citizens.

    The United States has to have higher military spending then other countries such as Russia, China, etc. , because the US may help other countries and could be involved internationally.
  • Round 2 | Position: Against
    WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    In this round, I will rebut your points up until now and introduce some new ideas in Round 3:

    "The military should be expanded and maintenances which requires increased or high military spending."

    The problem here is that our military is the most expanded in the world, and using my previous source, we outspend nations by 3 times over! Some people may argue that we need to stay ahead, and evolve with our technology. However, our current situation is not dire and we already have the equivalent of WMD's. We are one of 8 nations with such nuclear capabilities, so we already have established dominance over other second-world nations.

    "The military is required to protect the United States’s citizens."

    This is true, however, this states a goal or overarching concept behind the military. Any military in the world is supposed to protect its citizens, however, the amount of military spending it takes to do so varies. In our case, we already have protection from the military and we are not in conflict as of now. Therefore, military spending should be lowered or fluctuated with the times.

    3) "Military may be leverage in some situations or deals."

    This is probably your best point this far. While the force or might of a military can come from increased spending, according to marketwatch.com, "This is where skeptics will point out — and rightfully so — that you can’t compare one country’s military spending to that of another without accounting for the country’s size and economic capacity — not to mention differences in labor, materials and production costs."

    Let's break down this quote. This means that military spending has nothing to do with leverage or deals, it more depends on the economics that give troops and soldiers morale and therefore, more leverage considering the impact or effect they had in battle, not the spending it took to do so.

    "Military spending should be increased during every or most fiscal years, but especially increased during high tensions or wars."

    While military spending might rightfully increase during times of war, it should only be during times of war because that is when we need our men and women the most. Anytime else, they hang around and protect our borders, which doesn't require nearly as much money as people think 600 Bn. should be used for. Rather, the income should fluctuate, up during times of war, down during times of peace.

    "The United States has to have higher military spending then other countries such as Russia, China, etc. , because the US may help other countries and could be involved internationally."

    I will leave you with one question here, Is it our job to be the world's policemen when most issues in the world don't directly deal with us? The answer, is clearly no. That only makes us seem paternalistic to other nations and does not improve our foreign relations. Do other nations want Big Daddy America to decide decisions for their country when they are perfectly capable by themselves? 

    I now pass on the argument, I will bring up some new points in the last round.
    comey_testify
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • Round 3 | Position: For
    comey_testifycomey_testify 54 Pts   -  
    Military budget has to be increased.

    1) Global peace can be achieved through military power. Military power can be achieved by increasing military expenses. The U.S. military has to be expanded and more investments into the military should be made for technological advancements, etc.

    2) The military can be used as leverage. Deals can be made and peace can be kept through large military power which can lead to leverage.

    3) The military is needed to protect the U.S. citizens.

    The U.S. has to be involved internationally to keep global peace and advance U.S. interests, etc. 

    To remain a global power, the U.S. has to increase its military budget. Other nations are making the decisions, but the U.S. may sometimes help them defeat their enemy.

    With a lower military budget, the U.S. may not be able to maintain their current military and make technological advancements, expand, purchase more weapons. A higher military budget can also make the military more efficient.

    Sources -
    1) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_the_United_States

    2)
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget
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