| Rank | Country | Military budget |
| 1. | United States (FY 2008 budget) | $623 bn |
| 2. | China (2004) | $65 bn |
| 3. | Russia | $50 bn |
| 4. | France (2005) | $45 bn |
| 5. | United Kingdom | $42.8 bn |
| 6. | Japan (2007) | $41.75bn |
| 7. | Germany (2003) | $35.1 bn |
| 8. | Italy (2003) | $28.2 bn |
| 9. | South Korea (2003) | $21.1 bn |
| 10. | India (2005 est.) | $19 bn |
| World total military expenditures (2004 est) | $1,100bn | |
| World total (minus the US) | $500bn | |
It is virtually impossible to overstate the profligacy of what our government spends on the military. The Department of Defense’s planned expenditures for the fiscal year 2008 are larger than all other nations’ military budgets combined.
The supplementary budget to pay for the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, not part of the official defense budget, is itself larger than the combined military budgets of Russia and China.
[Excerpt of an article by Chalmers Johnson, Le Monde]
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