Today, the USSR is gone, and no comparable adversary is in sight. Any potential military threats come from countries in the minor leagues. The answer is pork, preparedness, Star Wars and ideology. Pork has long been part of the military budget, but the GOP leadership has raised the practice to a work of art. Newt Gingrich nailed down production of additional C-130 cargo planes the military didn't want in a plant near his Georgia district.
Pork translates into jobs for constituents.
Much of it is added in the final stages of negotiations on military money bills, without public hearings or votes. Preparedness was the theme of Pentagon leaders' recent warnings about the need for training, recruitment, and spare parts. Only one dollar out of nine was earmarked for preparedness. In fact, if the Pentagon wanted more money for recruitment and training, it could stop buying costly Cold War weapons that have little use in today's smaller-scale conflicts. The Air Force general in charge says more money cannot accelerate the program because it's moving as fast as technological knowledge permits.