A Real Domestic Threat: How Health-Care Spending Strains the U.S. Military

The title of this post is taken from the Atlantic Monthly article of the same name (Atlantic Monthly, March 12, 2012, link here), any my reason for commenting is to provide a perspective, and a warning, about a subject I blogged about over two years ago.

Early in the Obama Administration, when it was clear that the newly-elected President and the Congressional leadership were hell-bent on passing healthcare reform, I warned in a previous post on this blog that American leadership in space would suffer once healthcare became a huge new entitlement or was otherwise nationalized.  Now we see this prediction coming true as regards defense.  Not only are military health costs consuming a large percentage of the DOD budget ($52 billion for the Military Health service plus $51 billion for Veterans Affairs healthcare), but the rapid increases in other healthcare expenses ($970 billion annually for Medicare and Medicaid) are making healthcare a vastly more expensive ticket than nation defense $559 billion).  It also provides a marker as to the nation's priorities.

No doubt that many Democrats think this prioritization is correct -- de-emphasize the military, and take care of citizens.  But this is an important debate that needs to take place during the election season.  It is clear to his author, at least, that the primary function of the Federal Government is national defense.  Yet, if current trends continue, we will find ourselves, as a nation, consigned to being a former, not a current superpower.