Since 9/11, the United States military has changed in several fundamental ways. Here are just a few of them:
- The Defense budget grew by 155% from FY2001 to FY2011
- The number of active military personnel increased by 3.6%
- The Army and Marine Corps grew by 18.8% and 16.1%, respectively
- The Navy and Air Force shrank by 13.0% and 5.6%, respectively
- The U.S. military suffered a total of 6,236 fatalities from September 11, 2001 to September 8, 2011 in Iraq and Afghanistan
- The number of U.S. military personnel in Europe shrank by 32.9%, but increased by 687.7% and 664.2%, respectively, in North Africa/Near East/South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa
- The number of U.S. troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, from which 15 of the 19 hijackers originated, declined by 90.9%
A comprehensive chart outlining many of these key differences is included below:
Reflections of a Rational Republican 