On the military in general, the USA spends more than the rest of the G(8) countries combined
The U.S. military budget request for Fiscal Year 2004 is $399.1 billion
The U.S. military budget request for Fiscal Year 2003 was $396.1 billion.
The U.S. military budget request for Fiscal Year 2002 was $343.2 billion.
The U.S. military budget request for Fiscal Year 2001 was $305 billion. And Congress had increased that budget request to $310 billion.
This was up from approximately $288.8 billion, in 2000.
The US military budget is more than six times larger than the Russian budget, the second largest spender.
The US military budget is more than thirty seven times as large as the combined spending of the seven "rogue" states (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria).
It is more than the combined spending of the next twenty nations.
The United States and its close allies (NATO countries, Australia, Japan and South Korea) spend more than the rest of the world combined
This accounts for some two thirds of all military spending.
Together they spend approximately 57 times more than the seven rogue states.
The seven potential "enemies," Russia and China together spend $123 billion, 31% of the U.S. military budget.
Global military spending has declined from $1.2 trillion in 1985 to $809 billion in 1998. During that time the U.S. share of total military spending rose from 31% to 36% in Fiscal Year 1999.

From Global Issues

I have to wonder how this level is justified. Certainly an effective military is necessary, but is an overwhelmingly powerful military important enough to spend trillions of dollars on? Who is there to fight that is that much of a threat??

According to the IMF "The total public external debt for low-income countries stands at some $460 billion."

While wiping out that debt would have both positive and negative implications, I find it interesting that this total debt for the poorest nations in the world is equal to less than 18 months of US military spending.

Think about it.