The rear admiral critically comments on the continued increase in military spending by the United States. He asks why peace costs more than war. Although the Soviet Union is still a military threat, shouldn‘t the ABM (anti-ballistic missile) treaty signed by Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev be enough to reduce offensive weapons? This is not the case, however; the U.S. budget for military spending is up $5 billion over last year. The expansive military has had great influence on foreign policy and for this reason we should question these excessive requests by the Pentagon.

A transcript of this talk appears in The Commonwealth, September 24, 1973, Vol. LXVII, No. 39.