With Congress poised to pass a defense spending bill, we look at the cost of the US military, and why, even in a time of relative peace, that cost continues to rise.

On Today's Show:Fred Kaplan, Slate's 'War Stories' columnist and the author of many books, including The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War (Simon & Schuster, 2020), talks about the massive budget, and why very few in politics or media seem to raise an eyebrow at the size of the military budget.