William D. Hartung

WilliamHartung

William D. Hartung is a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Defund the Pentagon, Too

Defund the Pentagon, Too Defund the Pentagon, Too

Any effort to reduce police spending and focus on social programs should include massive cuts to the Pentagon’s bloated budget.

Jul 8, 2020 / William D. Hartung

USS Florida

Congress Could Rubber-Stamp a Defense Spending Spree Congress Could Rubber-Stamp a Defense Spending Spree

The Trump administration wants missiles, and pushback will require immediate action.

Jul 2, 2020 / Tristan Guyette and William D. Hartung

How the Military-Industrial Complex Is Using the Coronavirus

How the Military-Industrial Complex Is Using the Coronavirus How the Military-Industrial Complex Is Using the Coronavirus

Arms industry lobbyists are addressing this pandemic and preparing for the next by pushing weapons sales.

Apr 17, 2020 / William D. Hartung and Benjamin Freeman

Donald Trump pats his bicep and pumps at an August 2019 rally.

Trump Is Leveraging Pentagon Spending to Get Reelected Trump Is Leveraging Pentagon Spending to Get Reelected

The president is smudging facts—this time about defense spending—in hopes of a 2020 win.

Feb 11, 2020 / William D. Hartung

F-35 Lockheed Martin

How Our Defense Budget Became So Bloated How Our Defense Budget Became So Bloated

Defense spending is higher now than it was during the Korean or Vietnam conflicts and may soon be twice the Cold War average.

Dec 17, 2019 / William D. Hartung

Trump Saudi Arms Deal

Trump Is an Aggressive Arms Dealer. So Were His Predecessors. Trump Is an Aggressive Arms Dealer. So Were His Predecessors.

America has been dealing arms to the Middle East since Nixon, fueling a lucrative and disastrous kind of foreign policy.

Nov 19, 2019 / William D. Hartung

The Pentagon

Pentagon Officials Are Promising to Spend Money More Efficiently. They’re Lying. Pentagon Officials Are Promising to Spend Money More Efficiently. They’re Lying.

We can’t expect the Pentagon to serve taxpayers first unless long-standing ties to private defense contractors are undone.

Sep 26, 2019 / William D. Hartung and Mandy Smithberger

Lockheed F-35 Jet Australia

Defense Contractors Are Tightening Their Grip on Our Government Defense Contractors Are Tightening Their Grip on Our Government

A planned merger between Raytheon and United Technologies will only further consolidate a bloated military-industrial complex.

Jul 16, 2019 / William D. Hartung

US South Korea

America’s Defense Budget Is Bigger Than You Think America’s Defense Budget Is Bigger Than You Think

Each year, Congress approves hundreds of billions of dollars for the US defense budget—but the real number exceeds $1 trillion.

May 7, 2019 / William D. Hartung and Mandy Smithberger

Pentagon

Pentagon Spending Is a Poor Job Creator Pentagon Spending Is a Poor Job Creator

The Trump administration touts weapons spending as the best way to bolster the American economy. It’s not.

Mar 22, 2019 / William D. Hartung

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