The True Cost of Military Equipment Spending

Military Spending Infographic

Ever wonder what the military is spending taxpayer money on, how much each piece of equipment costs and what you could have bought with the same money, if it had been yours to spend? This graphic will show you exactly that.

Equipping just one U.S. soldier costs the government $17,500. That doesn’t seem like much, but it could pay a family’s health insurance for a year. On the other end of the spending spectrum, the U.S. nuclear weapons program spends $52 billion per year. That is the equivalent of 1,051,673.5 average household incomes. That amount of money could pay for 2,477,842.3 4-year college educations or 3,449,842.3 families’ health insurance for a year. Or, 234,445.4 homes could be bought with the money.

While there is a need to maintain a strong U.S. military, sometimes the U.S Department of Defense spending seems to be out of control. Could we spend far less and still maintain our military supremacy?

From: MilitaryEducation.org