By 2012 the United States was spending about $682 billion a year on its military, roughly 40 percent of everything the entire world spends on defense combined, and more than the next thirteen countries put together. This film asks what happens to that budget once the wars that built it start winding down: the Iraq war over, the withdrawal from Afghanistan set to finish in 2014. It follows the argument taking shape in Washington DC over whether the Pentagon's funding should shrink to match, with officials, economists, and defense analysts weighing a possible "peace dividend" against the industries, jobs, and strategic commitments built around permanent high spending. The film lays out the competing pressures plainly: lawmakers wary of appearing weak on defense, contractors and communities dependent on military contracts, and a federal budget still straining under the country's broader economic problems. It treats the spending debate as a real fight over national priorities, not a foregone conclusion.