[TheCycoONE]

> The US military is the largest socialist jobs program in the world and is the single greatest creator of skilled labor for our economy.

This sounds an awful lot like the broken window fallacy. Wars are destructive and any amount spent on that destruction is lost from the economy no matter how many people you hire in the process. Surely funding schools would be a more direct way of creating skilled labour.

[throwaway48476]

What about the microwave oven and the thousands of other products the military has indirectly created?

[hirako2000]

It isn't military that's in question. It's their engagements.

The U.S defense budget would be a fraction of its budget if used for defense.

There is an upside in wining wars. But since the U.S has been losing them, it's funding jobs that provide no value. Would better be spent elsewhere.

The Japanese unique economic boom after WWII was mostly due to having little to know defense budget. Germany's was less impressive but also benefited from focusing on the economic performance.