Is growth and job-creation the silver lining from more military spending? The short answer is No. The longer answer is still No. But it is worth debunking some myths.

Military spending is not ‘jobs rich’ and cannot contribute to lifting the economy, despite widespread claims. There is now something close to a frenzy on some European capitals for an increase in military spending with Keir Starmer at the forefront.

All sorts of wild claims are being made about how military spending will create jobs and boost the economy. This is a false economic case for warmongers, none of whom ever apply the same logic to spending on education, on the NHS, new homes or infrastructure.

In this country the Labour government has renewed austerity. So any new increases in military spending are sure to be at the expense of ordinary workers and the poor. The international aid budget has already been cut. Ministers have also made it clear that they want to cut welfare payments too, for the sick and for the poor. More cuts are coming in the Spring Statement.

Lobbyists for arms’ manufacturers have long tried to bring unions and others onside by making false claims about the economic benefits of supporting their businesses and their profits. But every major war has only ever left a hangover of huge government debt, as happened in both World Wars, Viet Nam and others.

There is a fundamental reason for this. Unlike other investment, in machine tools, computers, railways and so on, weapons do not add to the means of production. You cannot generate new economic activity with a weapon as you can with all the other items. Money spent on weaponry literally goes up in smoke, if it is ever used at all.

The value added by the output from military spending is zero.

But there is also idea  it is ‘jobs rich.’ This is also false.

Military spending is one of the worst ways to try to create jobs. To give a recent example, the Thales factory in Belfast was recently crowing about a £1.6bn order for missiles to be sent to Ukraine, which they said would create 200 jobs. That is an outlay of £8mn per job, with each job only assured for the lifetime of the contract!

By contrast, £1.6bn would employ literally thousands of NHS workers, or teachers, or builders of new homes. Detailed economic analysis shows very many sectors of the economy are far more effective in creating jobs than military spending. In general, funding for health creates 2.5 times as many jobs as military spending.

Military spending is often a diversion from productive investment, as it offers no economic benefit. But at a time of cuts to welfare, underfunding for public services and coming public sector pay restraint, increasing the military budget is a devastating waste of public resources.The labour movement should oppose it.