The massive World War II defense build-up crowded out domestic spending.

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In 1348 it played a pivotal role in the spread of the Black Death, it was a major departure point for the settlement of the Americas and a critical location for Britain's defense during World War II.

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He was responsible for organizing the Mannerheim Line of defense against Russia during World War II and was president of Finland from 1944-1946.

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The U.S. program has been kept alive with backing from powerful pols such as Alaska's ranking Senator Ted Stevens, a World War II veteran and chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

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Arguably, the need for a special relationship with Great Britain rooted in shared Western values and a mutual commitment to the common defense is as great today as at anytime since World War II.

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But the defense asymmetry becomes more important as the number of strategic weapons is reduced below START II objectives.

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While Texas is a right-to-work state, many of the highest paying jobs in the Dallas area are with unionized defense manufacturers like Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin, which produces the F-35 Lightning II fighter at a mile-long plant in Fort Worth.

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In this manner, a powerful Transatlantic impetus has properly been given to the debate that will begin in earnest on the floors of the U.S. Senate and House over the next few days -- a debate that House Speaker Newt Gingrich recently, correctly described as "the most important national defense debate since Churchill argued for building radar" in the peacetime years before World War II.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy