Psychological Effects of Militarism

By: Alexandria Addesso

Ah militarism, it is the basic bread and butter of the United States and many other modern and premodern states. To join a branch of the military and “serve” one’s country is perceived as one of the most honorable and noble professions among the masses. Recruiting officers visit high schools and start junior ROTC programs to get students in the militaristic spirit early while video games and movies involving war scenarios further familiarize and normalize the waring lifestyle. But what are the psychological ramifications of a state that is not just militarized on the battlefield, but the home-front as well?

The U.S. spends more money on the military than on any other department. They fund many hours of basic training that conditions soldiers to become killing machines devoid of “cowardice” and low on compassion.



“The secret about basic training is that it’s not really about teaching people things at all. It’s about changing people so that they can do things they wouldn’t have dreamed of doing otherwise,” said the commentator of “Anyone’s Son Will Do”, a PBS special on basic training.
But basic training is just the introductory steps that teaches soldiers to be loyal to the state and its interests above all else, to hate their enemies with a passion, and perceive themselves as superior to civilians. Yet, this is only the beginning. Major psychological changes are not usually perceived until a soldier comes home from serving. Between 11 and 20 percent of soldiers who served during Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and or Operation Enduring Freedom, the last two major military campaigns, reported suffering from ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’ (PTSD) according to the Veterans Administration (VA). War veterans may also suffer from substance abuse, depression, and thoughts of suicide. According to a study released by the VA an average of 20 veterans commit suicide daily.

While militarism is devastating to the soldier, it also reach home and affects civilians. Due to a surplus of funds from the war on drugs and domestic post- 9/11 operations, many police departments were able to outfit their officers with paramilitary gear and weapons meant for the battlefield. The “weapons effect” suggests that when individuals have access to weapons they are more prone to using them and acting violent in situations that could otherwise end peacefully.



“Guns not only permit violence, they can stimulate it as well. The finger pulls the trigger, but the trigger may also be pulling the finger,” said Leonard Berkowitz, an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin and one of the proponents of the weapons effect.
This seems to be the case in many cities across the U.S. that deal with police brutality.
Communities that protest such violence seem to be affected by it all the more as police officers suit up in combat gear. Ferguson, MO seems to be a perfect example of this. Such militarization of the police leads to only more distrust from the public being that they are treated more like they are under strict occupation rather than holders of citizenship and inalienable rights.

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The Black Budget

By: Alexandria Addesso

About one in six United States residents face hunger. Yet half of all the government's expenditures goes to the “military-industrial complex”, military and security. This amount of spending dwarfs that of which goes to assist the poor. Yet there is another budget that is completely off the radar and is not included in the known percentage given to the “military-industrial complex” even though it seems to directly associate with it.

Nearly $60 billion in spending goes to what is known as the “black budget”, an amount of expenditures that go to top secret means. Whistleblower Edward Snowden first revealed the amount allocated to the budget in 2013, then in was under $53 billion.

The top five agencies that receive this funding in descending order from most to least money allocated are the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Program, and General Defense Intelligence Program.




While there is some information out there about what exactly the budget goes to, most of the documents are in cryptic language and even most members of Congress can't get their hands on them. Based on what was exposed in the black budgets from previous years it is supposed that the budget funds projects that have to do with next generation drones and the penetration of hostile foreign intelligence services by means of ultra-powerful eavesdropping equipment, missile-spotting radars, spy satellites, and stealth bombers.

It is understandable to consider why such information may be kept top secret when dealing with foreign threats. But what about perceived domestic threats? With a notorious past of spying on its own citizens, it should be in the mind of every American that such programs could alternately be used on them. While keeping track of domestic terrorists may seem reasonable to many, history mustn’t be forgotten. National hero Martin Luther King Jr. was once heavily monitored by the government via phone tapping, yet he was just one of many.



Possibly in an era where people voluntarily release nearly all of their information and scope of their lives onto social media such citizen monitoring is not necessary. But this era is also the most technologically advanced in the realm of spying and eliminating perceived threats.

As things come full-circle, not adequately caring for the poor may seem less like an oversight and more like another way to combat a perceived “threat”.

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