[I am proud to be a co-author if this essay which first appeared in the January 9 issue of Counterpunch. I recommend it to readers interested in understanding why it is so difficult to reduce the defense budget or why why the largest budgets since the end of WWII (in inflation adjusted dollars) have produced a shrinking force structure equipped with the oldest weapons on average since the end of World War II. The co-authors of this article (see bios below) have more than 150 years experience working in the belly of the beast. CS.]

THOMAS CHRISTIE, PIERRE SPREY, CHUCK SPINNEY and WINSLOW WHEELER (Bios) are authors in the anthology “The Pentagon Labyrinth: 10 Short Essays to Help You Through It.” The book is available at no cost, and its co-authors have waived copyright protection, so there are no limits on reproduction or distribution.

dnipogo.org

Spinney also graced the cover of TIME back in ‘83. He is now retired and lives with his wife on a sailboat in the Mediterranean.

I recommend “Certain To Win” for those wanting to break out of the inertia we find ourselves in. amazon.com