Peace Left Behind: $133 Million More Toward Global Conflict
While schools face funding shortages, hospitals are understaffed, and communities across the U.S. cry out for investments in housing and healthcare, the Pentagon continues to funnel billions into war and weapons. This week is no exception.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense’s April 2, 2025 Contracts Report, The Boeing Company—headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri—was awarded $133.5 million to provide advanced P-8A Poseidon military training systems to the government of South Korea. These training systems include:
- An Operational Flight Trainer
- A Weapons Tactics Trainer
- A Maintenance Electronic Classroom
- A Training System Support Center
This contract also includes logistics, engineering, and software development—all reinforcing a war-based economy that extends well beyond U.S. borders. Work will be performed primarily in St. Louis, solidifying Missouri’s deepening economic reliance on military contracts.
Meanwhile, other contracts this week awarded:
- $99.9 million for military facilities maintenance in Guam, Hawaii, and Kwajalein Atoll
- $24.1 million for continued support of E-2 aircraft used by foreign militaries in France, Japan, Taiwan, and Egypt
- $25 million for architectural and engineering services for the U.S. Army
- $8.7 million for building renovations at Edwards Air Force Base in California
Despite the wide scope of these awards, the underlying message is the same: the U.S. economy continues to prioritize militarism over the needs of people.
What Could This Money Do Instead?
Let’s be clear: $133.5 million could fund thousands of public school teachers. It could provide clean water infrastructure. It could support green energy job creation in underserved communities.
Instead, this money is going toward training systems that make global conflict more likely—not less.
At Peace Economy Project, we’re calling for a shift:
- 🔁 From defense contracting to domestic investing
- 🛑 From perpetual war to peacebuilding
- 📢 From military dependency to economic sustainability
We urge Missouri lawmakers—and all members of Congress—to consider what kind of future we are funding. The question is no longer just how much we spend on the Pentagon, but what we give up every time we do.
📣 Take Action:
Support Peace Economy Project and demand reinvestment in education, healthcare, climate resilience, and peacebuilding from your legislators.
📍 Learn more at www.peaceeconomyproject.org
