Not terrorism–China drives up U.S. military spending
Ostensibly, the growing threat of international terrorism is
responsible for the Bush administration’s proposed 2007 military
budget, of $439 billion: a 7-percent increase from last year’s
record tally. Higher spending, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
has indicated, would ensure U.S. success “in the long war
against terrorist extremism.”  But only a small share of the
increase would cover specialized anti-terror and counter-
insurgency systems. The biggest and costliest items–such as
nuclear-powered submarines and long-range bombers–are intended
for use against an entirely different enemy: the People’s
Republic of China. Although official U.S. ties with Beijing have
remained overtly friendly, Pentagon officials apparently hold a
much darker view of the future.  The U.S. Defense Department
isn’t exactly forthcoming about its perception of the China
threat. Rather, it speaks of unnamed future challengers that
might someday contest American military dominanc