I just came across an article discussing the Air Force's new stealth bomber that is in development. Not much is known about the plane beyond the fact that it will be stealthier, have the ability to fly manned or unmanned, and will be able to drop bombs deep into enemy territory without detection. Oh, and we have this teaser photo released by the Air Force.
My initial reaction was to drool a little bit. As a kid I was always fascinated with the F-117 and B-2 stealth aircraft. They reminded me of something out of a sci-fi movie, but they were real planes. Couple that with my initial interest in aerospace engineering in high school and I found myself looking at the above pic thinking, "Sweet."
However, that sweetness also comes at a cost--$550 million A PLANE! The Air Force plans to build 100, which will bring the total cost to roughly $55 billion (and that's a conservative estimate).
This led me to step back and think. We are going to spend half a billion dollars (probably closer to three-quarters of a billion dollars when it's all said and done) for a single plane that's sole purpose is destruction. Because, at the end of the day, unlike troops themselves or many other aspects of our military that can be used for engineering purposes or nation building, a stealth bomber only really has a single purpose--to spy and destroy.
At this time, I don't want to get into discussions about just war, drone strikes, pacifism or the like. That discussion is always with us. And of course, we could get bogged down in whether or not our government is justified in spending that kind of money (to protect our security, to protect the world, to ensure freedom, etc.) But instead, I want us to focus on something else.
Rather than debating the rightness or wrongness of military force or of potential excessive government spending, I want to imagine an alternative reality. What could possibly happen in our world if the Air Force decided to build 99 of these planes instead of 100, and chose to donate the extra $550 million elsewhere? What else could that same money be spent on?
What if we used that money to build infrastructure and bring aid to the people of Syria and Iraq who are oppressed by ISIS? Might this undermine ISIS's legitimacy so we don't even need that bomber?
What if we used that money to address childhood hunger, either at home or abroad? And not just throwing money at a problem, but using the money to actually research how to deal a death blow to hunger.
What if that money were used to bring thousands of people across Africa clean drinking water, or assistance to help with farm sustainability to reduce famine? After all, lack of food is a primary cause of war, poverty, and unrest in the region, and water-borne illnesses kill hundreds of thousands of people each year.
What if the money were used to redo city infrastructures in impoverished areas? Or provide funding to domestic violence shelters or child abuse centers? What if it were used to provide 0% interest loans to promising entrepreneurs and businesses that hold the potential to improve society and our world?
The possibilities are endless, and all it really costs the Air Force is 1 plane. Do we really need 100 of these machines in the world, or can we get by with 99? Can we sacrifice the lethality of one weapon to use the money to bring more peace and wholeness to our world than any single plane could destroy?
Of course, this will probably not happen. But I believe a key part of the Christian social ethic is imagination. We need to imagine a world that looks different than the status quo. We need to tap into the creative inspiration of the Creator Himself to imagine alternatives to violence, hate, racism, partisanship, and other evils that plague our world. We need to imagine because we are called citizens of a Kingdom that is slowly invading our world. If we fail to stretch our imaginations, then we will find ourselves giving into the narratives and logic of worldly powers.
So, what are your ideas. If the Air Force sacrificed one plane and handed you $550 million, how would you use it to build God's Kingdom and construct a better world?
