Reality vs. talk on the defense budget

The Will and the Wallet has a great post about budgetary challenges at the DoD (kudos to Ink Spots for pointing out this fantastic blog). Gordon Adams brings up an important point that should be drilled into every politician, pundit, and commentator that talks about the US defense budget:

A share of GDP tells you nothing more than how much of the economy is invested in a particular activity.  It doesn’t tell you anything about capabilities or needs.  And the only reason it has gone down steadily in peacetime since the 1950s is because the economy has grown.  It is the worst example of “math, not strategy,” to use a phrase the Secretary has applied to those who seek a lower defense budget than we have today. The reality today is that in absolute terms we are spending more on defense, in constant dollars, than at any point during the Cold War era, including hot wars in Korea and Vietnam.

Read the whole thing here.