PREPARED BY PEACE ACTION MONTGOMERY The Militarization of America At What Cost?

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The Militarization of AmericaAt What Cost?

Topics

How Much do We Spend on the Military?Where Does the Money Go?What Does American Militarism Cost You?To Reverse Militarism, Can We Safely Cut the Military

Budget?Fund Our Communities: Bring the War Dollars Home

2

How Much Do We Spend on the Military?

3

Total Federal Budget, FY 2010 Both Discretionary & Mandatory

4

Source: National Priorities Project

Mandatory: Required by law Examples:

•Interest on Debt (9.5%)

•Social Security (21%)

•Medicare

•Unemployment

Discretionary: Negotiated each year Examples:

•Military

•Education

•Research

Obama Budget Proposal FY 20115

Source: National Priorities Project, FY 2011

“All other” includes:

•Environment•Science•Transportation•International affairs•Everything else except entitlements and debt.

Growth in Military SpendingExcluding Wars

6

Source: Project on Defense Alternatives

Military Spending Over Time7

Discretionary SpendingBy Category, 2009

8

Billions of Dollars

Source: Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Briefing Book

2010Budget: Military Recruitment vs. Peace Corps

0

1,000,000,000

2,000,000,000

3,000,000,000

4,000,000,000

5,000,000,000

6,000,000,000

7,000,000,000

Military Recruiting Budget

Peace Corps Total Budget

Dollars

Sources: American Forces Press Service; Peace Corps Web Site

9

U.S. Military Spending vs. Other Countries, In Rank Order, FY 2009

Source: Center for Arms Control and Source: Center for Arms Control and NonproliferationNonproliferation

10

Montgomery County Citizens’ Share of Pentagon Expenditures, FY2010

Budget

About $3 billion or

$2,000 per person

Source: National Priorities Project

11

With $3 Billion, Montgomery County Could Instead Have Paid For:

All expenses at a public university for four years for every 18-year-old in the County, and

Renewable electricity for three years for all the homes in the county, and

Over 5,000 new affordable housing units.

Source: Computed from National Priorities Project and census

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State of Maryland

What MD residents paid in FY 2010 towards the Pentagon budget: $13.7 bn

Entire State FY 2010 budget: $13.9 bnShortfall: 2.6 bn

State spending cuts: Public Health Disabled Education

13

Source: National Priorities Project, Out of Balance

Where Does the Money Go?

•War costs•Foreign military bases•War profiteers

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Military Budget, 201115

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Total War CostsIraq and Afghanistan Through 2010

Total direct cost of both wars by 2010: over $1 trillion

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Iraq: $747 billionAf/Pak: $332 billionTotal: $1.079 trillion

Source: National Priorities Project

$1 Trillion is a Thousand Billion

Imagine that you spent $1 million/day beginning with the birth of Jesus—to spend a trillion dollars, you’d need to keep spending $1 million/day until mid-way through the 28th century.

If you laid out $1 trillion end-to-end in $100 bills, you could circle the Earth at the equator 39 times.

A trillion dollars could pay the salaries for a year of 18 million people at $55,000 per job.

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Afghanistan War Costs

Total U.S. defense spending in Afghanistan, FY 2010: $101 billion.

$1 million: cost to send one soldier to Afghanistan for one year

$400 per gallon: US military’s cost of gasoline in Afghanistan

Source: Congressional Research Service Report RL 33110

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Afghanistan War vs. World Military Spending

In 2010, the United States will spend more on the war in Afghanistan than any other country in the world spends in total on the military.

Source: Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation; Reuters

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It’s a Choice!

Are lengthy occupations of Iraq & Afghanistan how we want to spend our money? We have

other threats!

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Where Does the Money Go?

•War costs•Foreign military bases•War profiteers

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U.S. Foreign Military Bases

The US maintains about 1,000 foreign military bases

Foreign bases cost taxpayers about $250 billion per year

Source: Foreign Policy in Focus, Anita Dancs

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Floating Bases

The U.S. has 11 nuclear powered aircraft supercarriers—the entire rest of the world has 11 carriers, and these are all much smaller than those of the U.S.

The U.S. maintains over 100 deployed ships and submarines at any given time—with 30,000 sailors afloat.

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Source: United States Navy; Project on Defense Alternatives

Military Bases as the New Imperialism

95% of all the military bases on another country’s soil are U.S. bases.

“Once upon a time, you could trace the spread of imperialism by counting up colonies. America's version of the colony is the military base.”

Chalmers Johnson, 2004

Source: Chalmers Johnson

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The Movement to End Foreign Bases26

Source: International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases

International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases: www.no-bases.org

Foreign Bases: A Provocation

The Declaration of Independence criticizes the British "for quartering large bodies of armed troops among us" and "for protecting them . . . from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these States.“

Foreign bases create enemies and make us less safe.

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Where Does the Money Go?

•War costs•Foreign military bases•War profiteers

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War ProfiteersExample: Lockheed Martin

84% Percent of L/M profits derived directly from US tax

payers, 2008

$4.4 billion Amount of tax-payer money distributed as profit, 2008

$42.68 million Total compensation of Lockheed Martin CEO, 2009

29

Sources: Forbes; LM Company Statements;

Lockheed Martin

Paid $577.2 million in fines because of contract fraud since 1995

Found guilty of 50 instances of various kinds of misconduct (including contractor kickbacks, nuclear safety violations, fraud, etc.)

Source: Project on Government Oversight

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Lockheed Martin: Forms of Influence

Political donations, 2008 cycle: $2,801,455 (from L/M PACs and individuals, per FEC)

Paid lobbying, 2008: $15,981,506

Source: Open Secrets

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Lockheed Martin: Forms of Influence

Geographic distribution of subcontractors

“The ideal weapons system is built in 435 Congressional districts and it doesn’t matter whether it works or not.”

Alain C. Enthoven, economist and former Pentagon official

In 2009, Lockheed Martin placed full-page ads in the Washington Post showing the number of jobs for F-22 construction, by Congressional district, throughout the nation.

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Lockheed Martin: Forms of Influence—The Revolving

Door

Lockheed's former vice-president, Bruce Jackson, worked in the DOD, and then organized and chaired the “non-profit” Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (2002-03): It lobbied hard for the Iraq war—a war that dramatically increased Lockheed Martin profits

8 other senior Bush Administration members had similar ties to Lockheed Martin

Source: Hartung & Ciarrocca

33

The War Profiteer Circle34

What Do Military Contractors Do?

Feed troops Maintain facilities and equipmentTransport cargoWash clothesProvide security guards for bases and

diplomatsEngage in military actions

Contractors are doing everything that used to be done solely by the military—for a profit.

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Contractors vs. Troops in Afghanistan36

Source: Congressional Research Service

Who Are Mercenaries?

Soldiers-for-hire or “private security contractors.”

They are recruited from all over the world.

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Outsourcing the Military

Powerful companies promote war because it is profitable, not because of the interests of the nation

The profit motive, in war, can be counter to the military’s goals and the nation’s

Oversight of contractors is negligible and contractors often do poor jobs—costing lives and more money

Cost-plus contracts , the most common DOD-type contract, encourage waste and unnecessary spending

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What Does the Militarization of America

Cost You?40

•Economic Costs•Environmental Costs•Cost to Democracy

A Weaker Economy

Increased spending on the military relative to other parts of the economy leads to :

Fewer jobs Higher interest rates Greater inflation

41

Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research

U.S. Job Creation with $1 Billion Spending

Num

ber

of J

obs

Cre

ated

Education Health Care Clean Energy Consumption Military

Source: U of MA, Political Economy Research Institute

42

A Weaker Economy

Money to finance wars displaces productive investment, for example to rebuild infrastructure at home.

As a result of not making these investments, future output in the U.S. will be smaller.

Source: Stiglitz and Bilmes, The Three Trillion Dollar War

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Economic Costs: Debt Service

Source: Congressional Joint Economic Committee Majority Staff, Nov. 2007

Interest costs alone are so high that they will soon dwarf federal spending on other priorities

44

Personal CostsProjected Costs of Wars: $3.5 Trillion by

2017

Almost $50,000 per Family

Source: Congressional Joint Economic Committee Majority Staff, Nov. 2007

45

Total Estimated Costs of Iraq & Afghanistan: $3.5 Trillion

With $3.5 trillion, for the next 133 years, we could send every 18-year-old in the U.S. to a state university. We could pay all their education expenses--tuition, fees, and room and board--for four years.

46

What Does the Militarization of America

Cost You?47

•Economic Costs•Environmental Costs•Cost to Democracy

Environmental Costs

The U.S. military is the biggest polluter in the world, generating an estimated 750,000 tons of toxic waste every year.

The military burns an estimated 20 million gallons of gasoline daily—about the same as the entire country of Iran.

The military writes its SOFAs to exempt the U.S. from responsibility for cleaning up environmental damage.

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Sources: Graydon Carter; Barry Sanders

What Does the Militarization of America

Cost You?49

•Economic Costs•Environmental Costs•Cost to Democracy

Threat to Democracy

Militarism restricts freedom at home Recent arrests of peace activists in Chicago and

Minneapolis “Protest zones” established

50

Threat to Democracy

Militarism involves immense amounts of money that corrupt the political system Campaign contributions, election ads and lobbying by

war profiteers and other corporations (e.g., oil)

Militarism leads to secrecy which is incompatible with democracy The “State Secrets Privilege” Patriot Act provisions

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Threat to Democracy

Militarism erodes fundamental rights Denial of Habeas Corpus in “War on Terror” “Legalization” of torture Military Commissions Act of 2006, creating kangaroo

courts

Militarism demonizes certain citizens--who then lose basic rights Japanese-Americans in WW II Muslims and Arab Americans today

52

Threat to Democracy

Militarism expands government surveillance of citizens Maryland activists placed on “terrorist” list, organizations

monitored by State police NSA data mining

Militarism leads to powerful secret paramilitary organizations, illegal actions by government, and lack of accountability—destroying the rule of law CIA – Black sites and illegal violence in many countries “Extraordinary rendition”— kidnappings and disappearances

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Threat to Democracy

Of all the enemies to public liberty war is . . . most to be dreaded because it comprises . . . the germ of every other. . . No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.

James Madison

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BECAUSE OUR ECONOMY IS WEAKER DUE TO EXCESSIVE MILITARY SPENDING, WE HAVE:Less to invest in new businesses and new ways of doing thingsLess to spend on health, education, infrastructure, art and culture

WE ALL HAVE TO WORK HARDER AND LONGER HOURS, JUST TO STAY EVEN.

WE ENDANGER THE ABILITY OF HUMAN BEINGS TO LIVE ON EARTH.

WE PLACE THE FUTURE OF OUR DEMOCRACY AT RISK.

What Does the Militarization of America

Cost You?55

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The Cost of Militarism

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.

Dwight Eisenhower

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FIVE MYTHS ABOUT SECURITY

To Reverse Militarism: Can We Safely Cut the Military

Budget?61

Myth #1: The More We Spend, the More Secure We Are

“The vitality of our economy is the cornerstone of our nation's strength.”

62

Source: Experts Letter to Deficit Commission

Myth #1, cont’d: The More We Spend, the More Secure We Are

Since 1968, most terrorist groups have ended because:

(1) They joined the political process (43 percent), or

(2) Local police and intelligence agencies arrested or killed key members (40 percent).

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Source: Rand

Myth #2: U.S. Military Spending Protects Americans from Foreign

Threats

The U.S. military is designed for:

“Power projection”: the capacity to intimidate other nations and implement policy by means of force or threat of force

Military intervention around the globe

64

Bacevich, Washington Rules

Do power projection and wars make us safer?

Myth #2, cont’d: U.S. Military Spending Protects Americans from

Foreign Threats

Example: Suicide Attacks

2000: 20 suicide attacks, one was anti-American

2009: 300 suicide attacks, 270 were anti-American

.

65

Source: Pape, Foreign Policy

Myth #3: Only Force or Threat of Force Can Keep Us Safe

Other sources of power:

DiplomacyEconomic powerMoral suasionInternational cooperation

(e.g., intelligence, policing)

66

Peace & security require justice Justice requires law

Myth #4: Military Spending is the Only Good Government Spending

We’re not “number one”:

11th : Percent of 25-34 year-olds who have graduated high school

22nd: Broadband Internet access24th: Life expectancy at birth32nd: Infant mortality rate37th: Health care quality48th: Quality of K-12 science and math

67

Sources: National Academies Press; UN Social Indicators

Myth #5: The U.S. is Responsible for Organizing the World

We are the “good guys” who fight to:

Create democracySave livesKill the “bad guys”Eliminate evil dictators

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How Much for “Security”?

The U.S. spends:55 times as much as the combined spending of the six “rogue” states that we have demonized (Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria)

But 47% of Americans fear that our military is inadequate!

69

Source: Daily Kos

How Much & What to Cut?70

How Much Could We Cut the Military Budget?

71

Andrew Bacevich:

We should reduce the US military budget to a level that does not exceed the combined military spending of all ten of the next highest-spending countries in the world.

Source: National Priorities Project—Security Spending Primer

Deficit Commission Proposal

Co-chairs of the President’s Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform:

Cut $100 billion by 2015

Examples: Cut specific weapons systemsCut 1/3 of foreign military basesCharge military more for health care

72

Barney Frank/Ron Paul Proposal

Sustainable Defense Task Force:

Cut $998 billion over 10 years

Examples: Cut nuclear warheads

Reduce size of military forces Cut certain weapons systems

73

Source: Debt, Deficits and Defense

Institute for Policy Studies

Task Force on A Unified Security Budget for the U.S.:

Cut $75 billion in 2011:

Examples: Nuclear weapons: $7 bn Missile defense: $7 bn V-22 Osprey: $2.7 bn

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Source: Task Force on a Unified Security Budget

Fund Out Communities:Bring the War Dollars

Home75

A growing coalition:•CASA de Maryland•Chesapeake Climate Action•Columbia United Christian Church, Peace & Justice Committee•Gray Panthers /Metro DC•Network of Spiritual Progressives/MD•Pax Christi/MD•Peace Action Montgomery•Progressive Democrats of America/MD•Southern Christian Leadership Conference/ Montgomery County•Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom/DC

Fund Our Communities: Goals

Significant increases in domestic spending for jobs, veterans’ services, infrastructure, education, health care, the environment, and human services.

Major reductions in the Pentagon budget, amounting to at least 25% over the next five years.

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Coalition Member Activities

Campaign endorsement

Education of own group

Legislative advocacy

Events

Outreach to other organizations

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Campaign Activities:Peace Action Montgomery

General Assembly resolution and/or letterCounty Council resolutionSeries of events in March, with cost-of-war sign

a focusPublic presentations on cost of warLobbying CongressCommunity organizing: building the coalition

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Fund Our Communities:Bring the War Dollars Home

www.OurFunds.org

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Sources

American Forces Press Service, http://www.smallgovtimes.com/2009/05/proposed-military-recruiting-cuts-reasonable

American Friends Service Committee, http://www.countdowntowithdrawal.org/ Amnesty International, http://www.amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_20012.pdf Bacevich, Andrew, Washington Rules, America’s Path to Permanent War, Metropolitan Books,

2010. Center for Arms Control and Non Proliferation, 2009 Briefing Book,

http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/assets/pdfs/fy09_dod_request_briefing_book.pdf Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, “Putting Afghanistan Troop Increases in

Perspective,” Dec. 2. http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/policy/securityspending/articles/120209_afghanistan_costs_in_perspective/

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, “Analysis of 2010 Defense Authorization Agreement,” Oct. 21, 2009. http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/policy/securityspending/articles/102109_c111_fy10_authconf/

Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation: http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/ Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=1258 Center for Economic and Policy Research:

http://www.stwr.org/global-conflicts-militarization/report-shows-increased-us-military-spending-slows-economy.html

Chalmers Johnson, America’s Empire of Bases. http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/1181/chalmers_johnson_on_garrisoning_the_planet

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Sources, continued

Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, Interim Report, June 2009: http://www.wartimecontracting.gov/docs/CWC_Interim_Report_At_What_Cost_06-10-09.pdf

CNN , Congress to Probe Private Military Contractors in Afghanistan: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/17/afghanistan.contractors.probe/

Congressional Joint Economic Committee Majority Report. War At Any Price?: http://jec.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Reports.Reports&ContentRecord_id=c6616188-7e9c-9af9-716c-d2ecbc191d33&Region_id=&Issue_id=

Congressional Research Service Report RL 33110, September 28, 2009 http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33110.pdf

Congressional Research Service Report R40764, September 21, 2009, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R40764.pdf

Congressional Research Service Report RL 33222, US Foreign Aid to Israel, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf

Congressional Research Service: http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/129342.pdf Daily Kos: “Our Taxes Are off to War,” March 8, 2010:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/3/8/123728/5092 Anita Dancs, Mary Orisich, Suzanne Smith, The Military Costs of Securing Energy

(National Priorities Project – October 2008) http://www.nationalpriorities.org/auxiliary/energy_security/executive_summary.pdf

81

Sources, continued

Debt, Deficits and Defense, Sustainable Defense Task Force, 2010: http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/media/Debt_Deficits_and_Defense.pdf

Tom Englehardt: Tomdispatch, http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175219/tomgram%3A_william_astore%2C_you_have_no_say_about_your_military/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tomdispatch%2FesUU+%28TomDispatch%3A+The+latest+Tomgram%29

Experts Letter on Defense Spending, Nov. 18, 2010, http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/NCFRRexpertsletter.pdf

Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/12/best-boss-09_Robert-J-Stevens_RIMI.html Foreign Policy in Focus: Anita Dancs, The Cost of the Global U.S. Military Presence, July

2009: http://www.comw.org/qdr/fulltext/0907dancs.pdf Foreign Policy in Focus, A Unified Security Budget:

http://www.ips-dc.org/reports-list.php?start=6 http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2003/03jan-feb/jan-feb03corp2.html Friends Committee on National Legislation, “Keeping Military Spending in Balance with

the Nation’s Priorities,” March 16, 2009. http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=3538&issue_id=19

William Hartung and Michelle Ciarrocca, “ Corporate Think Tanks and the Doctrine of Aggressive Militarism,” The Multinational Monitor, Jan/Feb. 2003.

Huck Gutman, http://www.redrat.net/BUSH_WAR/mercenaries/index.htm#mercs ublications/NPP_Security_Spending_Primer.pdf

82

Sources, continued

Iraq Coalition Casualties: http://icasualties.org/oif/ Jeremy Scahill, interviewed by Bill Moyers, June 2009.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18211.cfm John Feffer, “Good War vs. Great Society,” Foreign Policy in Focus, Sept. 22, 2009.

http://www.fpif.org/fpifzines/wb/6433 Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes, The Three Trillion Dollar War, Norton & Co., 2008. Just Foreign Policy: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html National Priorities Project: http://www.nationalpriorities.org National Priorities Project Security Spending Primer:

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/P National Academies Press, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, 2010,

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12999 National Priorities Project, Out of Balance:

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/webinars/out-of-balance National Priorities Project, President’s Budget FY 2011:

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/Presidents_Budget_FY2011 Newser:

http://www.newser.com/story/38814/pentagon-seeks-152b-fighter-sale-to-israel.html

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Sources, continued

Open Secrets: http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/index.php?capcode=mwkzr&name=Lockheed&state=&zip=&employ=&cand= and http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?year=2008&lname=Lockheed+Martin

Pape, Robert A., “It’s the Occupation, Stupid,” Foreign Policy , Oct. 18, 2010: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/10/18/it_s_the_occupation_stupid?page=0,0

Peace Corps Web Site, http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=1452

Political Economy Research Institute, U. of Mass., Robert Pollin and Heidi Garrett-Peltier , “The U.S. Employment Effects of Military and Domestic Spending Priorities ,” , Oct. 9, 2009: http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/071001-jobcreation.pdf

Project on Defense Alternatives: http://www.comw.org/pda/1002BudgetSurge.html Project on Defense Alternatives, http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/1001PDABM45.pdf Project on Government Oversight, http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/alerts/contract-

oversight/co-fcm-20090421.html Rand, “How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering Al Qa’ida ”

http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG741-1/ Refugees International: http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/9679 Reuters, Chinese Military Spending:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6230A720100304

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Sources, continued

Right Web: Committee for the Liberation of Iraq: http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/Committee_for_the_Liberation_of_Iraq

Salary.com: http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/swzl_compresult_national_lg12000010.html

Smartrend: http://www.mysmartrend.com/news-briefs/news-watch/lockheed-martins-f-35-joint-strike-fighter-program-needs-another-year-reuters

Task Force on a Unified Security Budget, Institute for Policy Studies: http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/USB_fy_2011

United Nations, Social Indicators: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/socind/

U.S. Budget: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2010/assets/summary.pdf- United States Navy Fact File, http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?

cid=4200&tid=200&ct=4, accessed November 15, 2009. War Resisters League: http://www.warresisters.org/ Ycharts: Lockheed Martin: http://ycharts.com/companies/LMT

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Optional Slides Follow

Arming the World:Costs Associated with Aid &

Sales87

U.S.: Arms Dealer to the World

Source: Congressional Research Service, Sept. 2009

Arms Transfer Agreements with The World, By Supplier, 2008

88

Sales to Other Countries:Example Israel

Proposed U.S. Military Aid to Israel FY2009-FY2018: $30 billion

Israel is required to use 74% of its aid money on U.S. purchases, totaling $24.4 billion.

89

Source: Congressional Research Service: US Foreign Aid to Israel

Sales to Other CountriesExample: Israel

Pentagon Seeks $15.2B Fighter Sale to Israel

Sept. 30, 2008

“The Defense Department said today it wants to sell up to 75 fighter jets to Israel in a $15.2 billion deal . . . The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it notified Congress on Friday that Israel has asked to buy 25 of the F-35s made by Lockheed Martin Corp., with an option to buy an additional 50 at a later date.”

90

Newser Online News Journal

Sales to Other Countries:Example Israel

US gives Israel billions of dollars

US requires Israel to spend most of it by buying from US arms manufacturers

Israel buys planes from Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin makes more profits

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Fragments of a US-made M155 white phosphorus carrier artillery shell fired by Israeli forces into Gaza

White phosphorus:

Causes deep burns through muscle and down to the bone, continuing to burn until deprived of oxygen.

Can contaminate other parts of the body, poisoning and irreparably damaging internal organs.

Is extremely painful and very lethal.

White phosphorus was used extensively in the war on Gaza 2008-09

92

Source: Amnesty International

Remains of a US-made Hellfire missile that killed 3 paramedics and a child in Gaza.

War on Gaza, ‘08-’09:

American-made planes

Dropping American-made bombs

Paid for with American taxpayer funds

93

Source: Amnesty International