A Tale of Two Defense Budgets

U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Richard W. Hunt, commander of U.S. Naval Surface Forces, greets Chinese Minister of National Defense Gen. Liang Guanglie and his delegation upon their arrival in San Diego, May 5, 2012. Liang is visiting U.S. military bases and meeting with U.S. military leaders to discuss U.S.-Chinese cooperation in areas of mutual interest including humanitarian and disaster relief assistance and counter-piracy measures. Petty Officer 3rd Class Christine Walker-Singh

Beijing And Washington’s Defense Budgets: A Tale of Two Cities -- Shannon Tiezzi, The Diplomat

Recently released defense budgets by China and the U.S. reveal different approaches but similar goals in Asia.

Beijing released its defense budget for 2014 today, as a draft budget was submitted to the National People’s Congress for review. Xinhua reported that the new budget called for a 12.2 percent increase, raising defense spending to 808.2 billion yuan ($132 billion). Outside of China, analysts and reporters viewed this increase with suspicion. “China’s Xi ramps up military spending in face of worried region,” a Reuters headline read. The article cited unease within Japan and Taiwan over a lack of transparency on how the money will be used.

Meanwhile, at the end of the February the Pentagon released its spending proposal, which called for cut-backs that would reduce the Army to between 440,000 and 450,000 troops (down from a peak of 570,000 in the post-9/11 period). News outlets across the country screamed variations of the New York Times’ headline: “Pentagon Plans to Shrink Army to Pre-World War II Level.”

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Update: China’s Military Budget Rises as Pentagon’s Retreats -- Timothy R. Homan, The Fiscal Times

My Comment: China's economy is booming .... hence they have the funds for their military. America's economy is stagnating .... hence they do not have the funds for their military. All that I can then say is that with time .... both budgets will meet.