Those looking for waste to slash can find plenty in the defense budget

To get a sense of just how big the American defense budget is, consider that this year’s budget increase, $80 billion, is larger than the entire defense budget of every other country except China. The current annual defense budget is $858 billion, more than twice as large as China’s, which puts it on track to cross the $1 trillion threshold well before the end of this decade.

There are some systemic reasons for such a huge budget, beginning with the scope of U.S. defense responsibilities.

Uniquely for the United States, the only true superpower, those responsibilities are global rather than merely national.

Atop that, the United States pays its military personnel better than most other countries, especially rivals such as Russia and China. And the realms of defense include air, land, sea and space.

Even so, no one disputes that the Department of Defense is riddled with wasteful spending. The Pentagon’s own estimates have ranged as high as $100 billion.

Even picking the low-hanging fruit would produce substantial savings. The Navy wants to save $3.6 billion a year by retiring littoral combat ships, which have not lived up to their promise in terms of performance or tactics. But Congress has refused to allow it because those ships generate revenue for their home ports in several congressional districts.

There are many other examples that add up to scores of billions of dollars a year. Congress should demand that the Pentagon identify wasteful spending, and end it, which would enhance rather than weaken national security.