Defense and security in the US

The Lend-Lease Act allowed the US to provide supplies to Allied powers in exchange for long-term leases for military bases around the world.

Active-duty military numbers decreased by 64.3% from their peak in 1968, dropping off twice during the Vietnam War and after the Cold War.

The US military oversees more than 27 million acres globally through its military bases, an area equivalent to the size of Virginia.

Over 93% of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ annual spending funds pensions, compensation, medical care, and education programs for veterans.