Revisit warnings of Eisenhower

Ken Anderson, Las Vegas

Saturday, June 1, 2013 | 2 a.m.

Just before leaving office, President Dwight Eisenhower made a speech regarding the military-industrial complex. He had a unique perspective of this issue looming over the nation.

Regardless of political affiliation, most Americans regard Eisenhower as a fair and honest leader. But what was it that motivated Eisenhower to boldly share a warning?

He was worried about the cost of the arms race with the Soviet Union and the resources it would take from other budgets, such as building hospitals and schools. After World War II, the number of troops diminished, but after the Korean War, the Pentagon maintained a large standing army.

Eisenhower tried to cut Pentagon spending. He wanted a budget that the nation could afford, which upset all of the military forces’ budgets.

Fast forward to the present. We must ask ourselves:

Does the number of warships we have, and are building, really put America at risk? The U.S. battle fleet is larger than the next 13 navies combined, 11 of which are our partners and allies.

Is it a real threat that by the year 2020, the U.S. will have only 20 times more advanced stealth fighters than China?

Does it bother the average American that the military spending of the U.S. in 2012 was $682 billion, while the next 10 nations spent $652 billion combined?

Why does the “war on terror” seem to have no end in sight? Is it all connected to Eisenhower’s warnings on the military-industrial complex?

These are the kinds of questions Eisenhower asked as commander-in-chief. They are the kinds of questions I believe he would ask today.