I've always wondered how much defense spending was actually just a jobs bill or an alternative form of "stimulus spending". Let's face it, somebody has to design the bombs, trucks, lasers, predator drones. Somebody has to manufacture them and sell them. There's a lot of people who's livelihood, for better or worse, depends on the defense industry. And let's not forget the salaries & benefits of every enlisted man & woman. War is big money, but also a big employer.
We might as well pay these people to stay at home rather than destroy stuff. Afterall, designing, logistics, etc, takes some brain so they might even be creative and produce productive stuff.