Defense Spending Defense spending is the amount of money a country spends on its armed forces. This includes the military, their pension plans, military intelligence, equipment and weapons research. This is an ever-changing quantity and is decided by what is happening in the world. If there is a war going on, military spending will increase dramatically: in 1944 the amount spent amounted to 43% of the country's GDP. During the Korean War spending amounted to 15% of the nation's GDP, a postwar peak. The low point occurred in 2000, when spending was 3.7% of GDP. Military spending also increased significantly in 2001 after the September 11 attacks, then declined in 2012 as involvement in the Middle East began to decline. The amount spent is expected to continue to decline as energy spending in the Middle East is reduced and with President Obama's proposed plan to cut defense spending to 2.4% of the country's GDP by 2023 (Walker ). There is no doubt that defense spending is a critical issue because it affects the security of the country and a large number of jobs. A lower percentage of a country's GDP spent on defense means less equipment, personnel, intelligence and overall development across all military sectors. In the uncertain times we live in, with terrorist groups in the Middle East and now, with the addition of unrest in the normally stable European continent, the strength of the United States military affects all Americans and people around the world. When making this decision there are many things to consider. Those who don't support defense cuts say they will take away security, destroy jobs and slow research projects that will improve everyday life. One topic comes from “Defe...... middle of paper ......ult Times - World Public Opinion, 2 June 2010. Web. 12 May 2014.Light, Paul C. "Fact sheet on the new real dimension of the government". Wagner School of Public Service, nd Web. May 12, 2014.Melvyn, Leffler. "Defense on a diet." Foreign Affairs 2013. Web. 14 May 2014. Newport, Frank. “Americans remain divided on defense spending.” Gallup.com, February 15, 2011. Web. May 9, 2014. Pollin, Robert. “The Benefits of a Leaner Pentagon.” Nation 2012. Web. 14 May 2014.Thompson, Marco. “How to Save a Trillion Dollars.” Time 177.16 (2011): 24-29. Premier of academic research. Network. May 9, 2014.Walker, Dina. “Trends in U.S. military spending.” Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, nd Web. 07 May 2014.Wegner, Marco. “The Defense PAC gives candidates more credibility than money.” CongressDaily March 2004: 12+. Premier of academic research. Network. May 9 2014.