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Current U.S. Defense Spending vs. Spending Since 1948

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by Travis Sharp [contact information]

February 26, 2009

When including funding for Iraq, Afghanistan, and nuclear weapons activities, the United States spends significantly more, in FY 2009 inflation-adjusted dollars, for defense today than it did during the peak years of the Korean War (1952; $604 billion), the Vietnam War (1968; $513 billion), or the 1980s Reagan-era buildup (1985; $556 billion). U.S. defense spending is higher today than at any point since World War II.

Table 4. Budget Authority for National Defense, FY 1948-2009
(in billions of constant FY09 dollars; includes war & nuclear funding)

Fiscal Year Funding Fiscal Year Funding Fiscal Year Funding
1948 $171 1969 $497 1990 $492
1949 $160 1970 $454 1991 $447
1950 $181 1971 $411 1992 $443
1951 $460 1972 $398 1993 $416
1952 $604 1973 $378 1994 $383
1953 $504 1974 $362 1995 $381
1954 $385 1975 $352 1996 $371
1955 $343 1976 $357 1997 $367
1956 $347 1977 $383 1998 $358
1957 $363 1978 $377 1999 $375
1958 $361 1979 $378 2000 $387
1959 $376 1980 $385 2001 $426
1960 $364 1981 $428 2002 $448
1961 $366 1982 $470 2003 $547
1962 $416 1983 $502 2004 $570
1963 $418 1984 $522 2005 $565
1964 $404 1985 $557 2006 $605
1965 $390 1986 $536 2007 $660
1966 $458 1987 $519 2008 $709
1967 $510 1988 $508 2009 $687
1968 $513 1989 $502

Table/Chart Notes: Includes funding for wars and nuclear weapons. Data from Department of Defense, Congressional Research Service

Travis Sharp 202-546-0795 ext. 2105 tsharp@armscontrolcenter.org

Travis Sharp is the Military Policy Analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. He has published articles on defense policy in scholarly journals, internet magazines, and local newspapers, and has appeared on or been quoted in media venues such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, CNN, and Al Jazeera.