Michael.T.Klare: China not terrorism drives up U.S. military spending

abqtrib: Ostensibly, the growing threat of international terrorism is responsible for the Bush administration's proposed 2007 military budget of $439 billion: a 7-percent increase from last year's record tally. Higher spending, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has indicated, would ensure U.S. success "in the long war against terrorist extremism."

But only a small share of the increase would cover specialized anti-terror and counter-insurgency systems. The biggest and costliest items - such as nuclear-powered submarines and long-range bombers - are intended for use against an entirely different enemy: the People's Republic of China. Although official U.S. ties with Beijing have remained overtly friendly, Pentagon officials apparently hold a much darker view of the future. Read more