I have some suspicions, but I’d like to learn a bit more about the actual process. When the US sends another x billion in military aid to Israel, how does that physically go down?

My guess is that money is magicked up into some account out of thin air, and then is sent to mostly US defense contractors to pay them welfare to ship weapons and munitions to Israel. Added to that would be DOD budgets for operations to support them in theatre, etc.

So basically my assumption is that the whole process is basically a giveaway to defense contractors, at the expense of the entire country, either by wasting tax dollars or creating more money supply which contributes to inflation and other fun things. I also keep seeing headlines about bills to stop “weapons sales to Israel” but it confuses me because my understanding is that most of it is being given to them and they’re not buying anything. (I guess we’re giving them money and they then buy from the defense contractors?)

Anyway, lots of vague speculations and assumptions, hoping someone knows better or has a good source for me to read to educate myself.

  • Creakybulks [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    15 days ago

    I think you’ve pretty much got it. we’re not literally making new munitions to send them, just using existing stock. whenever the libs tell you this, they fail to mention that shipping this shit overseas is wildly expensive and the defense industry will replenish the stock at some point in the future for insanely inflated rates.

    • hotspur [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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      15 days ago

      Yeah that makes sense—we send them a bunch of our stockpile (don’t we also keep a stockpile in Israel anyway, is that like the summer camp store?) and bonus! We get to get that newly made jdams and shells!

      But hey, things are tough, and belts need to be tightened; really need to get a handle on entitlement reform. I’m guessing one of the few agencies the DOGE thing won’t try and streamline will be DOD budgets.

    • electric_nan@lemmy.ml
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      14 days ago

      I’m here thinking why the fuck we sending billions of dollars worth of missiles, halfway around the world to Israel… when we have so fucking many people right here in the US who have no missiles at all!