Across the United States, militarization has become woven into everyday life in ways that are easy to overlook—and that is exactly the problem. For decades, military logic, equipment, and tactics have quietly expanded into domestic institutions: law enforcement, emergency response, border operations, even education. But most people only encounter these shifts in isolated headlines, without a clear sense of the larger pattern.

At Peace Economy Project, we believe communities deserve better. That is why we are preparing to launch Domestic Militarization Watch (DMW)—a dedicated, research-driven initiative built to track, analyze, and explain how militarization affects life inside the United States.

DMW is not live yet, but the need for it has never been more urgent.

1. Militarization Is Growing, but Transparency Isn’t

Militarization does not always look like tanks on the street. Sometimes it looks like:

• federal agencies conducting local operations without public notice
• surveillance tools created for war zones being used on domestic populations
• National Guard troops being deployed for political messaging
• police acquiring equipment once meant exclusively for combat
• budgets shifting quietly toward military and away from community needs

These changes happen gradually, and because they happen gradually, they escape scrutiny. Part of the reason we are creating DMW is simple: democracy requires transparency. When militarized responses become normalized—without public debate—the consequences ripple across generations.

2. Communities Need Accessible, Nonpartisan Data

Right now, information on domestic militarization is scattered across government reports, budget documents, academic studies, and local news. Most people don’t have the time or support to piece it together.

DMW aims to fill this gap by producing:

• state-by-state spending summaries
• interactive maps and dashboards
• plain-language explainers
• policy comparison tables
• a centralized research library
• regular briefs on key federal programs

Our goal is to make complex information available to everyone—from journalists and scholars to community organizers and everyday residents.

3. Budgets Reveal Priorities—and Those Priorities Are Shifting

Year after year, billions of dollars are poured into militarized policing, domestic deployments, and federal enforcement actions. At the same time, communities struggle with underfunded schools, limited mental health services, housing shortages, crumbling infrastructure, and failing public transit.

The United States is making a choice—but it is not a transparent one.

DMW was conceived because we need to show the public the tradeoffs embedded in state and federal budgets. We want people to be able to see, clearly and visually, how militarization diverts resources from the social goods that prevent harm and promote true safety.

4. Federal Agencies Operate with Limited Oversight at Home

Many Americans do not realize how far-reaching domestic operations have become for agencies like:

• ICE
• DHS
• FBI
• Border Patrol
• National Guard
• Joint Task Forces

These agencies coordinate in ways that often evade public reporting. Surveillance tools, fusion centers, and data-sharing networks operate behind closed doors. Communities experience the impact of militarization, but rarely see the systems driving it.

DMW will help illuminate these structures so advocates, policymakers, and citizens understand how power is being used—and how it can be held accountable.

5. Militarization Harms Marginalized Communities First

Black, Brown, immigrant, Indigenous, and low-income communities bear the brunt of militarized policing and surveillance. Yet these communities are also the least likely to have access to policy analysts, legal teams, or research institutions that can help them challenge state violence.

We are building DMW so the people most targeted by militarized systems have access to data that validates their lived experience and supports their advocacy.

6. The Current Moment Demands Action

We are at a turning point. In recent years, militarized responses have been used for:

• managing migrants
• controlling protests
• responding to homelessness
• performing political theater
• escalating border crises far from the border

These choices reflect a worldview where force is prioritized over care.

DMW is being developed because we believe communities must have the tools to push back. To do that effectively, they need reliable information, clear explanations, and rigorous research.

What We Hope to Achieve

Domestic Militarization Watch will serve as:

A public resource

demystifying complex systems and making information accessible.

A research hub

producing high-quality, nonpartisan analysis.

A watchdog

tracking domestic deployments, spending trends, surveillance programs, and policy shifts.

A storytelling platform

that connects data to human impact.

A catalyst

for advocates, journalists, students, community groups, and policymakers who want alternatives to militarized responses.

A Peace Economy Requires New Tools

Peace Economy Project was founded on the belief that true safety comes from investments in people, not weapons. Domestic Militarization Watch is the next evolution of that mission.

We are building it because the country is at a crossroads—and communities deserve to understand the forces shaping their daily lives. By shining a light on domestic militarization, we hope to empower the public to imagine and demand a future rooted not in force, but in justice, dignity, and care.