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When we think of the public resources that are directed towards the military, we
often think in terms of current budget expenditures. However, there is another category of
public resources worth considering – the total value of public assets devoted to
military uses.
Public assets are the durable capital goods which the government owns. We
typically think of public assets in terms of infrastructure: public buildings, roads, mass
transit systems, water and sewer systems, public utilities, and recreation facilities.
However, the military has a significant stock of government assets at its disposal:
buildings, aircraft, ships, vehicles, computers, and weapons. These are public assets,
albeit dedicated to military uses.