What Would You Spend for Security?

You are the defense minister for a state in the contemporary international system and your "boss" (the President or Prime Minister depending on your government) has told you that you are allowed to spend $100 billion dollars for defense for next year. Assuming that you feel that most of your forces are currently in relatively good shape and that no one area of your defense establishment is particularly weak, you should try to come up with a budget request that is balanced. In other words, all things being equal what do you think are the most important pieces of defense hardware that you should purchase to pursue military security in the contemporary international system? You may want to consider which of the following military uses is most necessary in today's international military environment:

There are also a number of questions below for you to answer that may also help you think more broadly about the issues raised in this exercise.

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1		Do you think it is important to continue to spend large sums of the defense budget on research and development on new weapons systems in the post-Cold War era?
			A)	Yes
			B)	No
			C)	Don't know
2		Do you think it is important to spend large sums of the defense budget on strategic capability when conflicts appear to becoming more regional, ethnic, or from non-state sources such as is the case with terrorism?
			A)	Yes
			B)	No
			C)	Don't know
3		How much do you think your state spends on foreign aid?
			A)	Approximately one-tenth of one percent of GNP
			B)	Approximately ten percent of GNP
			C)	Approximately fifty percent of GNP
			D)	Don't know
4		The amount your state spends on foreign aid should
			A)	decrease
			B)	stay the same
			C)	increase
			D)	Don't know
5		Do you think some of the money spent on defense expenditures should be diverted to foreign aid and aimed at dealing with humanitarian needs around the world?
			A)	Yes
			B)	No
			C)	Don't know
6		Do you think that defense expenditures should decrease in order to provide college education and technical training to all citizens of your country?
			A)	Yes
			B)	No
			C)	Don't know
7		Do you think that defense expenditures should decrease in order to provide health care (or improved health care) to all citizens of your country?
			A)	Yes
			B)	No
			C)	Don't know
8		Do you think that defense expenditures should decrease in order to provide other domestic needs in your country?
			A)	Yes
			B)	No
			C)	Don't know
9		Are defense industries or military bases situated in the state or province in which you reside?
			A)	Yes
			B)	No
			C)	Don't know
10		Would you be willing to support defense cuts which would affect nearby defense industries or military bases?
			A)	Yes
			B)	No
			C)	Don't know