Take the F22 fighter aircraft. This is an aeroplane that costs $330 million each and was designed as an air defence superiority fighter against a threat that doesn’t exist.

No nation on earth threatens the USA’s homeland airspace or the airspace of anywhere it has commercial, diplomatic or politic presence that it doesn’t have more than enough capability to deal with already. $330 million, which is more than the entire defence budget of around half the countries in the world.

Nearly 100 sovereign nations manage to get by providing air, land and sea defence for the cost of one United States fighter aircraft. That is a measure of how out of control the US arms industry is. If anyone listens to ex President George Bush’s so called ‘axis of evil’ argument, Iran could potentially be a real threat to US interests.  

So does the US need the F22 to safeguard its forces from the threat of the Iranian Air Force? Iran is still reliant on the Phantom F4 (sold to them of course by the Americans). These aircraft were obsolete 40 years ago, to suggest that the USAF has to spend this level of cash to defeat the modern equivalent of a piston engine biplane just doesn’t add up. 

Some are starting to see sense on Capital Hill and the number of F22s on order has, to the fury of the arms industry, been cut.

But the withdrawal from Iraq is likely to challenge further the view of what the US military is actually for, now its latest adventure is over. Now without the smokescreen of defending ‘freedom’ the public and politicians will soon see millions of service personnel sitting around looking at some very, very expensive kit without an enemy in sight. How long before they start asking the question; ‘how much is this costing?’.  

Well, if the military machine and their arms industry backers have anything to do with it this question will never be posed. Because peace is very bad for business and the hawks have already started circling their next potential targets to justify the vast sums spent on oiling and maintaining the most powerful military machine in history.  

A new war needs to be found to occupy both the military and the minds of the American public and fast. Where might this be? The aforementioned Iran? Even with all their technological superiority this might be a step too far for even the most enthusiastic Pentagon warmonger. No, much more likely somewhere they can put a veneer of justification on and that doesn’t carry too much risk. The CIA is now active in the Yemen with gentle noises being made that this is the new home of Al Qaeda.

Don’t be surprised if the rest of the US military isn’t far behind. The Army’s mission is after all not about defence of the realm it is to: ‘fight and win our Nation’s wars by providing prompt, sustained land dominance across the full range of military operations.’

And they can’t do that polishing their boots in Fort Bragg.