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Pros And Cons Of Military Preparedness

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Reagan’s “Peace through Strength,” Roosevelt’s “Big Stick,” Truman’s NSC-68: the United States has long possessed an attitude of “armed diplomacy,” (Nau) the concept that a strong defense system protects US interests by both military intervention and intimidation. But beyond this brinkmanship psychology, there is a more nuanced argument that transcends national security: economics. Both the United States’ international and internal financial interests have long since been tied to the state of the military. Whether it's the trickle down effects of the military-industrial complex or the new scientific advances that result of the Department of Defense, military preparedness is a multifaceted goal that protects more than just US security. Defense …show more content…

Since the writing of Vannevar Bush’ landmark 1945 proposal, Science: the Endless Frontier, the US government has invested trillions of dollars into research and development, much of it with the aim of defense preparedness. NASA and DARPA were both famously the result of a wartime search for innovation, as well as the advent of nuclear power & bombs (WWII), advanced interstellar technology (the Cold War Space Race), and the internet (the cold war communication system ARPANet is often cited as the precursor to the modern day web) (Featherly). On a more recent note, one could even cite Reagan’s famous “Strategic Defense Initiative”, otherwise known as “Star Wars”, which poured about $30 billion dollars into the development of a functional ballistic strategic nuclear missile defense system. While advanced missile capabilities were ultimately unachieved, the program unintentionally funded important advancements in silicon-on-sapphire radiation hard electronics, diamond film technology, and new indium antimonide (InSb) sensors (Abrahamson, Cooper), all of which are utilized in modern day electronics. In this way, the United States’ quest for defense preparedness has unintentionally advanced the state of modern science. And furthermore, these new inventions have not only revolutionized the American lifestyle, but also have created entirely new industries and companies that in turn improve the US economy. The impacts of defense preparedness are far reaching and diverse, encompassing not only immediate microeconomics, but the human history and

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