Benjamin Friedman speaks at the Time to Reset Defense conference

On March 26, 2013, the Project on Defense Alternatives and Center for International Policy sponsored a conference entitled 'Time to Reset Defense: Guidance for a More Effective and Affordable US Defense Posture,' at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Six panelists presented practical options for reshaping America's military to make it more relevant, effective, and affordable in coming years. The fourth presentation was by Benjamin Friedman of the Cato Institute. Friedman argued that both Democratic and Republican administrations have conflated ideological ambitions -- to fix the world or to run it -- with what the nation truly needs to be secure. And America's incomparable wealth has enabled it to buy defense "like rich people shop," ignoring the balance of costs and benefits. Friedman proposed several changes in US policy that would facilitate greater savings: no more free rides for allies, a recognition that global commerce does not depend on US military activism, and an end to counter-insurgency and nation-building efforts, which have not proved cost-effective means for combating terrorism.