The Quaxs Trading CenterDepartment of Defense's proposed budget for 2024 is $842 billion. That is about 3.5% of the U.S.'s GDP. The military buys everything from pens and paper clips to fighter jets and submarines. But the market for military equipment is very different from the commercial market.
On today's episode, we're bringing you two stories from The Indicator's series on defense spending that explore that market. As the U.S. continues to send weapons to Ukraine and Israel, we first look at why defense costs are getting so high. Then, we dive into whether bare-bones manufacturing styles are leaving the U.S. military in a bind.
The original Indicator episodes were produced by Cooper Katz McKim with engineering from Maggie Luthar and James Willetts. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and Angel Carreras. They were edited by Kate Concannon and Paddy Hirsch. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
Music: NPR Source Audio - "Sitting on A Hay Bale," and "In Dusk We Trust"
2025-04-30 22:412055 view
2025-04-30 22:112182 view
2025-04-30 21:441996 view
2025-04-30 20:51646 view
2025-04-30 20:271919 view
2025-04-30 20:22155 view
After seven seasons and several international spinoffs, we're still not sure if "Love is Blind" − bu
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Updated Feb. 1 with comments from U.S. Bureau of Land Reclamation commissioner. The Colorado River w