Lawrence J. Korb: Rep. Ryan’s Plan Fails to Address Defense Spending

  Any serious proposal to reduce the federal deficit has to put defense spending on the table. Why? Let me count the ways:

    * The baseline defense budget comprises 20 percent of the overall federal budget and 50 percent of the discretionary portion.

    * The U.S. share of worldwide defense spending grew from one-third to one-half in the last decade. This means 5 percent of the world’s population accounts for 50 percent of the world’s military spending.