Five Reasons Pentagon Weapons Spending Won’t Be Cut To Help Washington Cope With Coronavirus (From Forbes)

With the economy seemingly brought to a standstill by the coronavirus crisis, it is easy to believe that military modernization plans will be undercut by changing national priorities. However, there are multiple reasons to doubt that big cuts in weapons spending are coming. First, our faltering economy doesn’t need to absorb yet another blow. Second, weapons outlays are not a bad way of stimulating the economy since almost all the money gets spent within U.S. borders. Third, the arms industry is closely intertwined with other vital industries. Fourth, the Pentagon has to stay ahead of China in military technology if it hopes to deter future aggression. Fifth, there are deeply rooted political constituencies supporting many major weapons programs. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.