US Intelligence Spending $75B/YR

[TruthSeeker]

Secretive spending on US intelligence disclosed

By Adam Entous, Tue Sep 15, 2009

WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Intelligence activities across the U.S. government and military cost a total of $75 billion a year, the nation's top intelligence official said on Tuesday, disclosing an overall number long shrouded in secrecy.

Dennis Blair, the U.S. director of national intelligence, cited the figure as part of a four-year strategic blueprint for the sprawling, 200,000-person intelligence community.

In an unclassified version of the blueprint released by Blair's office, intelligence agencies singled out as threats Iran's nuclear program, North Korea's "erratic behavior," and insurgencies fueled by militant groups, though Blair cited gains against al Qaeda.

Blair also cited challenges from China's military modernization and natural resource-driven diplomacy, as well as from efforts by Russia to reassert its power.

"I think for the first time we have a good understanding of the world that we're in," Blair said.

Officials said the $75 billion total figure cited by Blair incorporated spending by the nation's 16 intelligence agencies, as well as the amounts spent by the Pentagon on military intelligence activities.

The United States has taken some steps in recent years to open the books on some of its secretive intelligence spending activities.

It has disclosed the amount spent by the 16 intelligence agencies -- $47.5 billion in 2008 alone -- but those figures did not incorporate the military's intelligence activities, officials said.

Blair, in a conference call with reporters, explained that his four-year strategy was not set up on the "traditional fault line ... between military intelligence and national intelligence."

"This whole distinction between military and non-military intelligence is no longer relevant," Blair said.

Spending for most intelligence programs is described in classified annexes to intelligence and national defense authorization and appropriations legislation. Members of Congress have access to these annexes but must make special arrangements to read them. (Editing by Eric Beech)

Secretive spending on US intelligence disclosed | Reuters

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Question is: How many $billions are being spent in/on intelligence re: Pakistan? Anyone care to guess?

 

[K^se]

Our countries intelligence budget is more than other countries nations defense budgets..Including China,Russia,France,England,India..etc..Our nations total defense budget is 753 billion dollars, every nation that attends the UN assembly their Sub-total defense budget combined is less than 700 billion dollars...

-Speaks Wonders about us, don't you think?

 

[SecularHumanist]

Lol that is like twice the national budget of Pakistan.

The US is #1 baby

 

[TruthSeeker]

-Speaks Wonders about us, don't you think?

Unfortunately, the amount we spend on defense (your $750B number), not quite totals our annual budget deficit, i.e all the money we borrow from China, et al. We are bankrupting our nation by acting as the World's Policeman. We have got to stop! We are giving the world a free ride with our security umbrella. Not only is this not appreciated, it is resented to such an extent that we have to spend $75B (on intelligence) trying to uncover and understand all the resentment! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot, a$$ and head all at once!

 

[Patriot]

Unfortunately, the amount we spend on defense (your $750B number), not quite totals our annual budget deficit, i.e all the money we borrow from China, et al. We are bankrupting our nation by acting as the World's Policeman. We have got to stop! We are giving the world a free ride with our security umbrella. Not only is this not appreciated, it is resented to such an extent that we have to spend $75B (on intelligence) trying to uncover and understand all the resentment! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot, a$$ and head all at once!

The money has to be spent.You think US is providing security umbrella just because it is a good guy..of course not.US wants to secure it's own interests.There is no free lunch.

 

[TruthSeeker]

The money has to be spent.You think US is providing security umbrella just because it is a good guy..of course not.US wants to secure it's own interests.There is no free lunch.

Well, of course something has to be spent. But $753 billion? More than the rest of the world combined? We don't need to have troops stationed in Japan, South Korea and Germany. It's insane. Of course a lot of the weapons system spending is a form of "public works project" employment for US and other allied nation's engineers and scientists. It advances technology at the cutting edge, and many civilian human endeavors may benefit, tangentially.

But given the US government budget deficits we are running up, especially with China and India and many of the other "emerging" economies, $750 billion is way over the top, dangerously excessive. Let the world get along without Uncle Sam having quite so many muscles. Let some of these conflicts go on without Uncle Sam trying to tamp them down.

 

[Thomas]

the problem is with such budgets there is way to much waste. and the waste gets hidden behind the veil of secrecy. DARPA (defense advanced research projects agency) recently got in trouble (2008) for cutting waste. by not paying for work that didn't meet the stated goals. Congress penalized them and took money away from them as a result. there needs to be a change in mind set. For those that control the purse strings.

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/09/darpa-budget-sl/

here are some examples of DARPA projects

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/tag/darpawatch/

 

[Thomas]

Well, of course something has to be spent. But $753 billion? More than the rest of the world combined? We don't need to have troops stationed in Japan, South Korea and Germany. It's insane. Of course a lot of the weapons system spending is a form of "public works project" employment for US and other allied nation's engineers and scientists. It advances technology at the cutting edge, and many civilian human endeavors may benefit, tangentially.

But given the US government budget deficits we are running up, especially with China and India and many of the other "emerging" economies, $750 billion is way over the top, dangerously excessive. Let the world get along without Uncle Sam having quite so many muscles. Let some of these conflicts go on without Uncle Sam trying to tamp them down.

I disagree on the bases. Germany is currently used as a way point for most operations in the Middle East. and there is still to much happening with North Korea to pull out of South Korea and Japan. Though we actually do not have really that many troops in South Korea. Japan serves as a Naval hub as well for Asia. There are other ways to trim spending.