The Second to None campaign is national initiative to fight cuts to the defense budget. It sees the the military industrial complex as an integral part of our domestic economy. According to its website, “Second To None is a public education and action campaign funded by the Aerospace Industries Association and supported by firms and individuals concerned about ensuring that U.S. aerospace and defense continues to lead the world.”
Locally, Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino is working hard to lure a defense contractors and their vendors to the county. He wants to go back to Germany to another conference.
Yesterday, Congressman Jeff Miller teamed up with Rep. Kay Granger to oppose proposed funding cuts to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the new fighter based at Eglin AFB.
Others see Second to None as an extreme voice, fighting to preserve a level of defense spending higher than at any point during the Cold War.
Project on Governmental Oversight: “The U.S. spends more than five times as much on defense as China—the country with the second highest level of defense expenditures. The U.S. spends nearly as much on national security as the rest of the world combined. Even with significant cuts to defense spending, the U.S. will remain Second to None.”
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The truth is this nation has spent billions, maybe trillions, fighting wars in Iran and Afghanistan, for nearly 10 years. We are still defending Europe, as part of NATO, against the 1950-1980 communist threat that no longer exists. The reason other nations don’t spend as much on national security as the the US is we are doing it for them.
Meanwhile, our planes, ships and other equipment have become outdated and need replacing. It’s time we cut our military spending overseas and spend those dollars upgrading our military.